


For the Love of Mercy

by SherlockWolf



Category: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You, Verum Rex - Fandom
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, F/F, F/M, Final Fantasy XV Spoilers, Final Fantasy canon-typical violence, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Heart Magic, Implied/Referenced Torture, Love Confessions, M/M, Magitek, Minor Character Death, Multi, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, Pining, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Spoilers - Kingdom Hearts III, Torture, Verum Rex, Will add more tags as I go, everyone is 18+
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2019-10-28 22:36:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 63,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17796047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockWolf/pseuds/SherlockWolf
Summary: Sora wakes in a city he's never seen with enemies he's never faced. Thankfully, he's quick to make friends.Riku's search for Sora leads him to an endless city with dizzying lights and no sun. It's just his luck that he's quick to make enemies.~In a wild fusion of Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and a little sprinkle of The World Ends With You, this story focuses on the aftermath of KH3 for Sora and how the gathering of frienemies reunites him with the KH universe we know and love.





	1. A newcomer

    “See, I told you guys he’d fit in.” Yozora crossed his arms over his chest and walked away from the edge of the building, leaving his companions behind him.

    Lauriam and Ignis continued to watch the young man on the streets below. He was striking down magitek after magitek as though they were sticks in his path.

    “I’d say we let him join.”

    Yozora cast a glare at the hooded figure who’d spoken. Luxu wasn’t the one in charge, and it irked Yozora to no end how often he tried to imply that he was. Before he could get a word in to argue that that had already been decided _without_ him, Ignis’ phone rang.

    He slid the device from his pocket and answered, leaning it between his shoulder and ear as he continued to watch the newcomer through his binoculars. Whoever had called him had no time to waste, as Ignis could barely say hello before they dominated the conversation. Yozora returned to his position between his teammates, and sharpened his magitek eye to focus on the young man.

    The man wielded a strange weapon, shaped like a skeleton key with a glaring yellow handle. Despite its unimpressive appearance its magic abilities were incredible. It changed its appearance, summoned powerful magic Yozora had never seen, and demolished hoards of enemies in minutes.

    Yozora needed to know who it was that could control such power. And he needed that person on his team. If the Empire got ahold of this man…Yozora did not want to imagine the consequences.

    “Right away, your highness.” Ignis’ voice drew Yozora’s attention from the streets.

    “Who was it?”

    “The Master. He says that he’s sensed the newcomer, and that we need to bring him to the base immediately.” Ignis reported.

    “Well, let the fun begin.” Luxu’s laugh grated Yozora’s patience.

    Luxu back-flipped off the edge before disappearing in a flash of black-purple, always one for the dramatics.

    “Lauriam, see that Luxu doesn’t hurt him.” Yozora ordered.

    “Yessir.” Lauriam leapt off the building and vanished in a puff of pink flowers.

    Alright, so perhaps Yozora had _two_ dramatic team members. Nothing he couldn’t handle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The secret ending inspired this crazy idea in my mind. I don't know how far I'll take this, and I guarantee it will all get trashed by canon at some point. But, as it is I plan to combine my experiences and knowledge of KH and FFXV with what I learn of TWEWY to have some fun, and save Sora from his fate along the way.  
> Let me know your first impressions! <3 sherlockwolf


	2. Roxas would be proud

    “Evening, poppet.”

    Sora struck down the last suit of armor that had assaulted him, watching it fall to the asphalt with a heavy thud. These were not heartless, that much he’d figured out. They were something else, maybe robots. They didn’t smell like metal, though, and their flashing red eyes gave him chills. A sick feeling that these enemies were a whole new level of deadly had been growing inside his stomach.

    And now that voice from somewhere behind him was like the cherry on top of this nightmare cake. Why was _Xigbar_ here? Wasn’t Sora supposed to be dead? It bothered him that his mind had invented such terrible enemies, but for it to recreate this annoying asshole simply wouldn’t stand.

    “Go away.” Sora snapped, dismissing his keyblade and walking away from the voice.

    He wasn’t about to give dream-Xigbar the time of day.

    “Woa, woa, woa! Where ya goin’?”

    The voice got closer, and with an annoyed huff Sora tossed a glare over his shoulder. Sure enough, Xigbar was striding after him. He caught up far too quickly for Sora’s liking. He was too tired to deal with this.    Who knew that even in death one could feel tired? Fighting all those suits was wearing on him, and Sora wanted to find an alleyway to tuck himself into. Without Xigbar.

    “Whatdya want? Didn’t I kill you?” He growled, pulling his hood over his head and shoving his hands in his pockets.

    Xigbar laughed. “You wish, kid. Or maybe you don’t, considering I’m your ticket outta here.”

    Alright, Sora would take that bait. Maybe dream-Xigbar could offer some rationalization to this place.

    “Tell me what that means or I’ll kill you again.”

    “Ha! As if. I’ll tell you anyway, don’t like to see you squirm too much.”

    Lair.

    “You’re in the real world of that video game Xehanort’s younger self shoved you into back in Toy Box. Remember that one? Had the spitting image of your boyfriend in it, with a few improvements.”

    “Riku doesn’t need _improvements_ ,” Sora shot back, “And I remember.”

    How could he forget? As stressful as it had been, getting to operate a mech suit had been worth it. If what Xigbar said was true—what? He could entertain the idea, it wasn’t as if the afterlife gave him anything else to do—Sora hoped he’d get to drive a mech again.

    “For now you’ve gotta play along ‘til Lauriam and I can figure out how to get us all out of here.”

    That brought Sora up short. He stopped walking and gave Xigbar his most suspicious look he could muster. How did he know that name?

    “Wait, what? Lauriam is here?”

    “Don’t tell me you’re smart enough to know who I’m talking about.” Xigbar chuckled.

    “Don’t tell me you can read my mind. Except, you’re just a hallucination anyway. Nothing you’re saying is real.” Sora mocked Xigbar’s condescending tone.

    Roxas would be proud of how surly he was feeling today. Was ‘today’ even a descriptor he could use? Neither a sun nor moon hung in the sky. Time was nonexistent in this place his mind had dreamed up.

    “Oh boy, you’re in for a shock.” Xigbar let out a breath, then lightly punched Sora’s shoulder.

    Sora drew his keyblade.

    “Yozora knows you too well, Luxu.”

    Great, Marluxia was here too? And who the hell was Luxu?

    Sora and Xigbar turned to look back the way they’d came. Marluxia’s hair was cut a bit short, and he was wearing clothes Sora had never seen. They complemented him well, especially the feathered hat. He had a cocky smirk on his face Sora ached to remove.

    “Yozora can kiss my ass. The only reason he’s going to get Sora on his side is because of his looks.” Xigbar waved a dismissive hand in the air.

    Was Xigbar Luxu? Why would he go by such a different name? On that note, why did the name ‘Yozora’ sound so familiar?

    “If that’s how it has to be. Everyone’s got a role, Luxu. Aren’t you the one who told me that?”

    Whatever they were fighting about was starting to get on Sora’s nerves.

    “Would you two shut up? I didn’t die just to listen to more Organization riddles.” He snapped.

    Sora pointed his keyblade at Xigbar’s chest and summoned a fire spell. Xigbar teleported out of the way, though, so the flame landed on a bush next to a park bench instead. Within moments the small park was burnt to a crisp. At least Sora had shown these apparitions he meant business.

    “He thinks we’re an illusion.” Xigbar pretended to whisper to Marluxia.

    Marluxia didn’t find that humorous if his soured face was anything to go by. Or, maybe he was bothered by Xigbar’s sudden proximity. Sora could relate to that.

    “Unfortunately, I don’t know of a way to convince him we’re real.” Marluxia observed Sora, who lifted his keyblade once again.

    “This time I’ll count to three.” He warned.

    Neither of them moved.

    “Suppose you could get hit and convince him…”

    “One.”

    “As if!”

    “It would do us all a favor.”

    “Two.”

    “Look, kid, not that it’s not adorable that you’re being feisty, but we’ve got bigger fish to fry. For example, your girlfriend? If you still want to save her you might want to listen to what we’ve got to say.”

    Sora paused. His keyblade remained at the ready, but he didn’t attack.

    “She’s not my girlfriend. And I thought I already rescued her?”

    Sora had gone back to the Final World, had defeated more liches, and had released Kairi’s heart. He’d done all of that, then when he’d tried to go home he’d been cast into the void instead. Floating in the dark, without even _darkness_ to keep him company. His bored mind had invented a world, the world he now stood in. That was the only explanation—he was trying to prevent himself from fading away before someone could find him.

    There was no way this place was real, and there was no way Kairi was here. Much less these two schmucks.

    “You got passed step one, but there is more to do before we all can return to the Realm of Light.” Marluxia’s words echoed those Xigbar had said earlier.

    “Who is ‘we all’?”

    Marluxia and Xigbar exchanged a glance. Sora didn’t like that. Before he could badger them, however, Xigbar’s guns appeared in his hands.

    “Look, we’ll explain later, ‘kay? Right now the boss is waiting and I don’t want him to come off his high tower just for your sorry ass. You need to come with us.”

    “Sora. I know that you do not trust us and it may not help to tell you this, but we are not the Nobodies you knew. We are the men we used to be before Xehanort corrupted us.” Marluxia held out a hand toward Sora, a peace offering in comparison to Xigbar’s actions.

    That inclined Sora toward believing him. What had Marluxia said as he’d been dying? That he was remembering who he had been? Had that person been good, like most of the others? Sora was curious as to how Marluxia had gotten mixed up with the Organization. Perhaps this was how he would find out, along with the answers to the many questions these two were feeding his brain.

    “Where will you take me?”

    “Ah, refreshing question. My boss, the Master of Masters, wants to see you. He thinks you’re special.” Xigbar’s guns vanished.

    “I’m not special.” Sora had never believed that, and certainly didn’t want to hear it from one of his enemies.

    “As if,” Xigbar scoffed, about to monologue again, but Marluxia cut him off.

    “Yozora can explain more, if you’d rather hear it from a third party.”

    There was that name again. The feeling that he knew that person bothered Sora. What did he have to lose? After all, he was already dead. He may as well follow his curiousities.

    “Fine. Take me to Yozora, then I’ll see about this boss of yours.” Sora dismissed his keyblade.

    He didn’t take Marluxia’s outstretched hand, however, and after a moment that was definitely awkward for the plant mage and empowering for Sora, Xigbar opened a dark corridor and they all stepped through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the positive reception! I wasn't expecting this to get so much attention, and it's taken off less than 24 hours after posting.  
> On that note, because this got such an overwhelming welcome, I'm actually going to spend some time and map out how I want this story to go and other details. Capter 3 might take some time to arrive (I'm in my last semester of Uni so you can imagine my life is a hot mess), but I promise it will be worth it.  
> Once again, thank you for reading! I'm excited for this!  
> <3 sherlockwolf


	3. Ancient King

    Oh. That was why he knew that name. This person was the one Rex had kept getting Sora’s own name confused with. This person who happened to look exactly like Riku, minus the cool new haircut and plus a freaky red eye. Red like those of the suits of armor Sora had just struck down. That did not bode well.

    The introductions were short and succinct. Xigbar and Marluxia reported Sora’s name for him, and claimed he was from the distant country they themselves were from. Sora had opened his mouth to protest when he remembered the number one rule: world order. After that, he just played along with whatever backstory Xigbar made up for his magic.

    Sora was uncomfortable to learn that the quartet had been watching him from a skyscraper two blocks from his battle. Yozora had explained he wanted to see Sora’s power, uninterrupted, but that only bothered Sora more. These people were going to try and use him, just like the Organization. Sora wasn’t sure he wanted to stick around and find out what for. Yet, he had nothing else to do. No one to protect or save.

    Unless what Xigbar had said was true.

    “We need to return to base, then we can explain more. The Master is waiting.” The man Sora didn’t know—Ignis—informed them.

    Everyone—except Sora, who was only along for the ride at the moment and didn’t think voicing his desire for his brain to stop hallucinating was going to help anyone—agreed. Xigbar opened another portal and Sora was ushered in after Yozora.

    They stepped out into a dimly lit narrow corridor with walls, floor, and ceiling made of shining black stone. One end of the corridor ended in a closed gold-trimmed door, while the other opened into what Sora assumed to be another hallway. Benches lined the sides of the hall up to the door. The four others each took up space on the benches. Xigbar stretched out his legs, Marluxia crossed his and rested his head on a hand, Yozora sat hunched over his knees, and Ignis sat with rigid posture.

    Yozora looked up at Sora after he made no move to sit.

    “Make yourself comfortable, we’re going to wait a while.”

    “Then what was the rush?” Sora grumbled to himself as he sat down on Yozora’s left.

    Sora didn’t want to overthink how Yozora made him feel a bit at ease. He should be feeling the opposite, because everything about this copy of Riku was wrong. The eyes, the hair, the hard edges where there should be soft…Okay so not everything. He _sounded_ like Riku.

    “So, Sora, still think you’re dreaming?” Xigbar asked, mischievous smirk returning.

    Sora crossed his arms over his chest and slumped back against the bench. If it were just a tad more comfortable he might fall asleep, but therein was the issue. Feeling tired wasn’t something that happened in dreams. Dreams freed spirits from their bodies to do anything they wanted.

    Sora didn’t feel free.

    “I don’t know anymore.”

    “That’s good, Sora. Keep trying to believe us. Your faith will make our success more likely.” Marluxia praised.

    This situation was so weird. If Sora weren’t the forgiving type he imagined he would’ve ran out of the room at Marluxia’s _caring_ behavior.

    “Success in what, exactly?”

    It was Yozora who answered.

    “We’re fighting a war against the Niflheim Empire. They’re trying to take over our kingdom, Lucis, from the royal family line, but the Master has too loyal of a country for them to ever succeed. Those suits you were fighting are called magitek—think of them as demons summoned into the forms of soldiers, part machine and part monster. The Empire doesn’t use their own people to fight because they know their own people have no interest in lying down their lives for their country. Unlike us. We want you to join our cause, Sora. Your magic is powerful, and with you on our side we could push the Empire back once and for all.”

    So, that was Yozora’s cause. Why he wanted Sora to fight for _him_. But what did the Master want? More importantly, what did Xigbar and Marluxia want? Sora had a feeling they hadn’t shared their true motives with Yozora or this Master, either.

    Sora narrowed his eyes at the two of them, but decided he would call them out on it later.

    “How long has the war been going?” He asked Yozora, glancing at him only briefly because his appearance was still so jarring.

    Sora doubted it would ever stop startling him.

    “Ten years at least. I was a child when it began, and now war is all I know.”

    “I know how that feels. I’ve been fighting a war since I was a kid, too.”

    Some people might still consider Sora a kid, he was only eighteen after all. Back home he would have just graduated high school. But four years of battle, life-or-death stakes, and worlds travel had changed and aged him beyond his years. Even if he chose not to act like it most of the time.

    “Even more reason to have you on our side.”

    Yozora’s smile was far too similar to Riku’s, and for a moment Sora had to fight off an overwhelming rise of longing. He’d been actively avoiding thinking about Riku, and here Yozora was undoing all of that hard work.

    Sora took a deep breath and tried his best to smile back.

    The door at the end of the hall opened, revealing a man with muscles to rival Hercules. He was tall, too, enough to fill the doorframe. It reminded Sora of all the times he’d watched Lea duck his head in the nick of time.

    “Iggy, you guys can come in.”

    Ignis hopped to his feet and waved for the others to follow. He and the new man disappeared into the room beyond. Yozora slipped through, then Marluxia. Not wanting to be left another second along with Xigbar, Sora scurried after them. Xigbar definitely laughed at him.

    Sora stepped out into an expansive, dark, ancient throne room. The ceiling was immeasurably high, with enormous pillars towering up into the abyss. The grand hall in the center lead up to a white staircase to Sora’s right, which split around a circular altar only to rejoin at the base of a throne. Above the throne, or perhaps a part of it, rose the image of two golden hands holding up what must have been a golden trident. The metalwork was intricately woven with gleaming blue gems on either side of what would be the trident’s staff, imitating the look of magic as it would crawl from the mage to the barbs of the weapon. Two floor-to-ceiling windows were carved on either side of the throne, and Sora imagined that with sunlight the gold would light the room with a powerful glow.

    Overall, the sight of the room gave Sora chills. He felt was in the presence of a deity—it made him feel small.

    As the group walked up the connected part of the stairs to stop at the altar, Sora could make out the form of a man in a cloth suit on the seat of the throne. He sat with his right elbow propped on the right arm of the throne, and his right cheek rested on that closed fist. His left arm sprawled over the throne’s left arm, and his right leg was lifted to cross over his left. It was a cocksure pose, one of arrogance, prowess, and authority. The smile he gave Sora was no different.

    “Ah, it _is_ you. Welcome, Sora. It’s about time we met.” His voice was incongruous with his image, almost too soft to hear in the cavern of his throne room.

    The man stood and took his time walking down each stair. Sora wondered how this man already knew his name and what they’d talked about—more evidence that he was a deity. He came to a stop in front of Sora, looking down at him with that smile on his face. His raven-black hair was cut short like Riku’s, and his clean-shaven face made him look much younger than he could be. No king could be a few years older than Sora—right?

    The man held out his right hand to Sora. Sora shook it, unsure what else to do. Was shaking hands normal for royalty in this world? It wasn’t in most.

    “My name is Noctis, and I’m thrilled to have you here. Have the others informed you on our situation?” 

    His polite demeanor didn’t match that pose Sora had seen earlier, either. Maybe he’d actually hallucinated that.

    “Yes, they told me you’re fighting a war against the Empire.” Sora couldn’t remember the name of either of the countries Yozora had mentioned, but that was no matter.

    He’d commit them to memory later, if he were around that long.

    “Good. But there’s more you need to know. About a week ago, the Empire’s troops disappeared for a few days. When they came back they had a new magic—the ability to wipe memories. They would attack, then decimate the minds of entire battalions. Our healers are struggling to find a way to help them all recover, and so far only a handful have. At first we had no idea where they got that power. But then, our spies discovered something. The enemy has a captive, a woman from some other world with powers we don’t have here. A woman with pink hair, blue eyes, and a youthful soul. You wouldn’t happen to know her?”

    “Kairi.” Sora answered, certain.

    The description of the captive gave her away, but the memory loss power was all too familiar for Sora to doubt any longer.

    So Xigbar wasn’t lying. Kairi _was_ here. No, wait. This was a fabrication of his mind, wasn’t it? Everything that was happening was fiction. The real Kairi was back home, safe and alive. This dream-Kairi still needed him, though. She was still in danger.

    “Master, if I may. Sora doesn’t believe this world is real.” Xigbar announced, sounding far more controlled and tempered than usual.

    It annoyed Sora that Xigbar appeared to be reading his mind, again. But the loss of personality bothered him. Was this Master someone to fear, if even Xigbar put on a nice face for him?

    The Master laughed, placing a hand over his heart. “Can you blame him, Luxu? He’s been through the ringer. But he’ll accept reality sooner than later. For now what matters is that he’ll help us. You will help us, Sora?”

    Sora battled with himself. He wanted to help, of course he did. It was his first instinct, always had been and always would be. But was it worth it to get himself involved in another war? One that didn’t impact him personally? Except, Xigbar’s earlier mention of Kairi nagged him. What if he had failed, and she was here? What if this place was real, and if he did nothing she would be trapped in it with him, never knowing that Sora had come after her? And, as much as he loathed to admit it, Xigbar had given him hope. If this place was a real world, then Sora wasn’t dead. He could go home. He could see Riku again. Really, he had no choice. Not if there was a glimmer of hope.

    Sora nodded, “For Kairi.”

    The Master grinned, arms crossed over his chest. “Thanks, Sora. You won’t regret it. Now, I can see that you’re exhausted. Lauriam can get you set up in a room.”

    Sora nodded, uninclined to protest. Sleep sounded great. Maybe he’d wake up to find himself at home on the Island.

    Marluxia tapped Sora’s shoulder and titled his head for him to follow. With one glance back at the others—catching Yozora’s red eye for too long—Sora followed. He was lead through corridors, up staircases, and through more corridors until Marluxia finally pushed open a door. The room inside was bigger than any Sora had ever stayed in. A king sized bed trimmed in white sat in the center of the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows occupied an entire wall to the left of it, and to the right was a half-wall length closet. Sora couldn’t help but chuckle—he had one outfit.

    “Isn’t this a bit much?” He asked as Marluxia ushered him inside.

    “You should see Luxu—Xigbar’s—room.” Marluxia chuckled with him, leaning on the doorframe.

    Sora went over to the bed and poked at the fluffy duvet. It felt like a cloud.

    “Speaking of which, why do you both have different names?”

    “Mine is simple, it’s my original ‘somebody’ name. Luxu is a more complicated story, one I’m sure he’d prefer to tell.”

    Sora wasn’t sure if he should share how he knew Marluxia’s true name. There could be more Lauriams out there…But he’d never met any that he could remember. It was worth a shot. He went over to the closet and began opening doors and drawers to explore the space he’d been given.

    “Mar—Lauriam, there’s something I need to tell you.”

    Lauriam tilted his head. “Yes?”

    “When I was in the Final World, the place between life and death, I met someone who knew you. She said she was waiting for a friend, and she whispered your name to me. I didn’t know it was your name then, but now…I think she meant _you_.”

    “What did she look like?”

    “The spirits didn’t have bodies, more like essence. She couldn’t her own name, either.” Sora frowned.

    “That’s fine. I may already know who it was, anyway.”

    “Oh, yeah?”

    “I had a sister, in my old life. Her name was Strelitzia, and…disastrous things happened to her. Things I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to amend. I suppose the first of those will be getting her back, once we escape this world.”

    Ah, maybe now Sora could get some answers. Lauriam seemed far more willing to be open than his Nobody, or Xig—Luxu for that matter. Sora closed the final drawer, and now with nothing to do, he stood and crossed his arms over his chest.

    “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on, or am I still going to have to guess?”

    Lauriam smiled, “You’re far more perceptive than anyone gives you credit.”

    “That’s my secret weapon.” Sora sassed, trying to smother his conflicted feelings over Lauriam’s praise once again.

    This guy was _too_ nice.

    Lauriam chuckled. “Alright, I’ll share. The Nobodies whose hearts you released from Xehanort’s control are here: myself, Ludor, and Elrena. Isa returned to the Realm of Light because his heart had a connection—Lea. Luxu and the Master—Noctis—are here for entirely different reasons. As far as I know the Master has been here for a very, very long time and it’s Luxu’s role to help him escape. In doing so, he’s going to help the rest of us leave, too.”

    Sora thought for a moment. If Lauriam was Marluxia and Isa had been saved, that left Luxord and Larxene. Ludor must be Luxord since it matched closest. So, Larxene was Elrena. This name-game was going to give him a headache.

    “The Master—Noctis—he’s from the Realm of Light?”

    Lauriam nodded. “All Luxu will tell me is that they are both from before the original keyblade war. It means that they are both ancient beings, not to be double-crossed. That’s something Elrena and I have been discussing.”

    Ah, so Elrena and Lauriam were working together. Sora recalled Marluxia and Larxene’s dual attack against him in the Labyrinth. They were a formidable duo. For them to be wary of the Master and Luxu wasn’t a good sign. But, he’d rather get his own impression of the Master. So far he had been nothing but welcoming to Sora.

    “Larxene told me she was in the Organization because she was following someone. Is that someone you?”

    Lauriam nodded. “We’re old friends.”

    Something in the way he said that made Sora wonder if their relationship ran deeper than that. It also reminded him of his own priorities.

    “Noctis said Kairi has been here for a month. Time works differently here?”

    “It does. Both Luxu and myself have been here for about a month. We’ve gained Yozora’s trust, as well as that of the friends the Master has made during his time here. You met two of them—Ignis, and Gladiolus.”

    Sora assumed Gladiolus was the Herculean man from the throne room. He also noticed that Lauriam only referred to Noctis as ‘the Master’. Maybe that was one of the codes of the castle.

    “On that note, I need to insist you continue to play along with us. I don’t know how long it was after you killed us that you came here, but I’m sure it was only a few hours. We’re going to be here a while, Sora. But you mustn’t lose faith during that time. You are the key to getting us all out of here.”

    There it was again, the mention that Sora somehow mattered to the greater purposes of others. Sora wasn’t sure how to feel about it. It disgruntled him that he had no choice in the matter, yet he wanted to leave this place as much as the others. A world that was at siege for a decade was no world for Sora.

    “I’m starting to believe you. I’ll help you as long as you promise to help me save Kairi.”

    Lauriam nodded. “It’s a deal.”

    Lauriam made to leave, but paused after taking a step.

    “Oh, and Sora? Yozora is a highly skeptical person. If he does not believe you are genuine he may cause problems. I think it’s best to stay away from him, even if he reminds you of home.”

    Sora would take that advice with a grain of salt. Maybe Lauriam was worried that Sora would become attached to this world because of Yozora. If it were anyone else’s appearance that had been copied, Sora would have worried about that himself.

    In reality, Yozora served as a sharp reminder of why Sora needed to leave as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay exposition! Hopefully not too many more chapters of it ^^'  
> <3 sherlockwolf


	4. Light's Strongest Power

    _Riku sits on the beach, legs sprawled out before him and hands behind his back as he watches the stars. Sora sneaks up behind him, an act made easy by the dampening effect of the sand. He’s a foot behind Riku, ready to pounce, when Riku tilts his head to look up at him. They laugh, and Sora flops on his back upside down to Riku’s position, with the crown of his head facing the ocean._ _Riku traces the lines of Sora’s bare chest, and draws a heart over Sora’s real one. The look he gets in his eyes then is sad so Sora sits up to hug him and make it go away. But before he can move, Riku’s hand becomes a dagger-clawed weapon which reaches into Sora’s chest and pulls his heart from it. The organ drips unceremoniously over Sora’s skin, staining it with blotches of iron. Riku laughs, menacing, and he looks down at Sora with one red eye._

    Sora jolted up, arms flailing for a moment to regain balance. The room spun around him, the sharp contrast of the black marble walls with the white of his bed covers not helping. Sora squeezed his eyes shut and pawed at his chest to feel for a gaping wound. It wasn’t there. Next, he focused on his breathing, trying to erase the awful image from his head with each exhale. Sitting up made him dizzy, though, so Sora laid on his back and crossed his arms under his head. He’d slept for a long, long time. He knew this because his head felt stuffed with cotton, as it only could after a too-long sleep. It was much needed rest, but even so Sora wished it had left him feeling refreshed instead of terrified.

    Once his breathing was even and he’d given up on trying to forget that dream, Sora stood and put his clothes back on. It was nice to have spent the night in a real bed rather than an alley, but it would be even _nicer_ if there were some way for him to clean his clothes. Too bad he didn’t have a Gummy Ship around to do it for him. Sora made a mental note to ask someone about his wardrobe situation.

    Deciding he wasn’t going to wait for someone to come get him and inevitably think about Riku, Sora took it upon himself to wander the dim halls of what he assumed was a castle the size of a world. It was downright stupid how many hallways he came across, much less the ones he chose to follow. Some lead to rooms, which Sora investigated. Many were locked, a few open. One was a kitchen, where Sora snuck a loaf of bread off a counter top. One was a bathroom—a huge relief considering it had a hot-water shower, too. Sora spent at least an hour in that room after locking himself in with his Keyblade.

    One, the one he was in now, was a library gargantuan enough to rival that of Yen Sid’s or the Beast’s. It was easily half the size of Noctis’ throne room. The idea of Belle being here brought a smile to Sora’s face. He needed to visit her once he was free of this world.

    It was in this library that Sora found himself scouring the books for history texts on the world. He learned that the planet itself was named Eos, and it had a long history of deities and war. Noctis was the descendent of a long line of royal blood, which had been created by a god. That explained the feeling of the throne room that had made Sora feel so miniscule. Noctis really was a deity, in a way. Recent newspapers told that Noctis had become King just a few years ago when his father had been killed, days before Noctis was supposed to be married to a princess of a land called Tenebrae. The princess, too, was presumed a casualty of war. Nothing mentioned if she had been found. Sora hoped for Noctis’ sake she was alive somewhere, but he knew that years of silence weren’t a good sign.

    Next Sora found maps of the world. Maps were one of his favourite things to find—aside from potions there was no other item he found more useful. These showed him where the kingdoms of Lucis and Niflheim were. There was another kingdom no one had mentioned, which shocked him. It was right between Lucis and Niflheim, something Sora would have considered important information to share. To figure out the significance of Shibuya he dug through more newspapers and texts. He discovered that Shibuya had become a war zone, initially under the protection of Lucis until the Empire had proven too strong and had gained that ground. Lucis had pushed back, and then began an endless cycle which lead to its current status as “no man’s land”. Articles described that most people who had lived in the small country had received asylum in Lucis, but small pockets of Shibuya citizens remained and fought with Lucis soldiers to reclaim and defend their homeland. Damage reports indicated that the portion of the city closest to and along the Niflheim border was the most destroyed, while the areas closest to and along the Lucis border were fully intact.

    Sora thought back to where he’d been found by Xigbar. It had been a city, much like the one described and shown in the pictures. Had that been Shibuya? If so, it must have been close to Lucis. Sora had encountered so many magitek robots it was daunting to imagine what his experience would have been if he’d woken on the Niflheim border of the small country. 

    Cheerful laughter erupted somewhere in the library. Sora’s head shot up from the desk he’d been leaning over, and he listened intently. He swore he recognized that laugh.

    Far too many seconds went by before the sound rang out again. Abandoning his station, Sora dashed through the endless rows of books toward the laughter. He rounded a corner to find a group of tables, lamps, and chairs clustered together. Seated at one of the tables with a deck of cards purposefully dished out between them were none other than Larxene and Luxord—Elrena and Ludor.

    Their heads turned in unison as Sora bounded up to their table.

    “Ah, Sora. Apt of you to join us.” Ludor greeted with a warm smile.

    Sora gave him a pirate’s salute. Ludor laughed. Elrena rolled her eyes.

    “Are you gonna give him a hand or what? I’m not gonna wait forever.”

    Ludor shuffled some cards around before handing seven upside to Sora.

    “Am I allowed to look?”

    “Only at your own.”

    “No peeking!” Elrena ordered.

    “I won’t! What are the rules?”

   Ludor began shuffling the cards that were laid out on the table back into the deck.

   “I’ll explain as we play a round, then I expect you to rise to the challenge. We are playing a game of threes, where the goal is to discard all of your cards first.”

    One round was all Sora needed to catch on and within a few rounds the three of them were playing as though they were champions. None of them spoke about anything other than the game, arguing over moves and numbers and placement. Sora had to admit, he was having a ton of fun. Elrena was as sassy as ever and as far as Sora could tell Ludor was no different from his Nobody, but both of them were far less mean.

    Hours passed without the trio noticing, and it was only until Lauriam arrived and took up the last seat at their table that any of them thought to ask.

    “Dinner starts in about twenty minutes.”

    “Good, I’m famished.” Ludor lamented.

    “Have you eaten anything today, Sora?” Lauriam asked.

    Sora told him about the bread, but he didn’t say where he’d gotten it. Lauriam didn’t ask, but Elrena had a sly smirk on her face.

    “The Master has invited you to a private dinner.”

    “Ooo, special treatment for the Chosen One.” Elrena teased.

    “I’m not the ch—.”

    “Do not try to defy fate, Sora. The game must be played by the rules.” Ludor interrupted to impart what he thought to be sage advice, but in reality annoyed Sora.

    He was tired of fate, destiny, _and_ rules. But, ugh, speaking of rules…His earlier concern returned to him.

    “Um, is there a dress code? I don’t have any other clothes…”

    “I requested a few things to be brought to your room,” Lauriam stood and began to walk in the direction of the exit, “Shall we, Sora?”

    Sora handed his cards to Ludor and followed Lauriam.

    “Have fun!” Elrena cooed sarcastically, as though she thought meeting with the Master was anything but.

    Sora turned on his heel and gave her a pirate salute.

~

    The dining room Lauriam had dropped him off in was surprisingly smaller and more intimate than any other room he’d been to so far. A four-person round table sat in the center of the room with two places set for a full course meal. The Master was already seated at one, wearing the same suit Sora had seen him in yesterday. Sora hovered over the chair across from him, unsure if he had to wait to be asked to sit.

    The man looked up from his phone.

    “Hi, Sora. I see you got the new clothes. Like them?”

    The Master was so casual compared to yesterday, Sora imagined they could be friends even though the others showed high respect and even fear.

    “Yes, thank you!” Sora gave a bow to show his gratitude.

    The suit he was wearing fit perfectly, much like the outfits granted to him by the three fairies. The black two-tailed coat was incredibly fancy with delicately woven embroidery that trailed from the shoulders to the cuffs, which were linked with heart-shaped gold pins. The white collared shirt and black pants felt light and were easy to move in, and he’d even been given a pair of black flats to accent the look. Sora had never felt quite so extravagant in his life.

    “Have a seat, I’ll call the waiter.” The Master smiled, setting his phone face-down on the table before leaning forward with his elbows on the table.

    The Master made no physical move to retrieve anyone, but moments later a door opened and their first course was brought in—salad. Sora waited until the Master took a first bite before he dug in. Donald would be shook to his core to see Sora remembering basic manners—and eating salad.

    “Did you have fun exploring?”

    Sora nodded, a bit surprised that the Master knew what he’d been up to. Did the man have someone watching him? Lauriam had seemed unsurprised to find Sora in the library, so maybe he was the one keeping tabs. Sora wasn’t sure whether to find that annoying or a non-issue.

    “Yeah, your castle is amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one this big.”

    “I can’t wait to show you my real home, then. It may not be this massive but you’ll be blown away.”

    Sora wondered if the Master was implying they’d be friends after whatever was going to happen. That was good, Sora could always use a friend in this world. And he would never turn down an invitation to visit a new place.

    “Where are you from?”

    “A little world called Daybreak Town. It’s a beautiful place. Where do you call home?”

    “Destiny Islands.”

    “Mind if I visit, sometime?”

    Sora shook his head. The Master’s smile gained some of that disturbing edge Sora had seen yesterday.

    “Can I hear about some of your adventures?” This was said more as an order than a request, but Sora pretended as if it were the latter.

    They continued to eat as they discussed Elsa and Anna, Ariel, Aladdin and Jasmine, Alice, Belle and the Beast, and even just what Sora had just learned of Eos in the library. Then once their salads were cleared away and the main dish—crab with various vegetables—was set in front of them, the Master began a new conversation.

    “I’m sure you’ve gotten a few answers out of Luxu and Lauriam, but I want to tell you what I need from you—as long as you promise not to tell another soul.”

    Sora paused fighting to open one of the crab legs. He wasn’t great at keeping secrets, but considering how few people he trusted here—zero—it shouldn’t be too difficult.

    “Okay.”

    “Luxu, Lauriam, and I are all keyblade wielders. They call me Master because I was the first. All of us can connect with hearts and draw upon their power but none of us can do it quite like you. There’s something about who you are, fundamentally, that’s made you more powerful than even myself when it comes to the light’s strongest power—connecting with the heart of a world. You’ve done it so many times, too.”

    The Master leaned back in his chair, and pointed his fork at Sora. “Your role in our escape is to lock the heart of this world. Doing so will reconnect it to the others, and return this world and ourselves to the Realm of Light.”

    Wait, _that_ was what made Sora special? He’d assumed all keyblade wielders could connect with the hearts of worlds. With the way Luxu and Lauriam had been talking, it had seemed like Sora was going to have to win the war single-handedly or something.

    “Is that really all I have to do?”

    The Master chuckled, “That’s it.”

    “I can do that.”

    “Hey, I like the enthusiasm. In the meantime, we can help you rescue your friend, what was her name again?”

    “Kairi.”

    “Yeah, Kairi. I’m going to send you to work with Prompto for a while, first. He’s going to help you become oriented with this world, learn the ropes of the war. The point is that you will be prepared to infiltrate the Empire with us and find Kairi.”

    “Is Prompto a friend?”

    “Yeah, I’ve made a lot of friends while I’ve been here. He’s my favorite, I know you’ll like him. It’s hard not to.”

    Sora hoped so. This place was starting to feel less lonely and more real with every person he met.

    The rest of their dinner conversation revolved around sharing tales of other worlds and of their various friends. With prompting Noctis—who had insisted Sora not call him Master in any capacity—told him about Lunafreya, the princess he’d been betrothed to marry. She had been a wonderful woman from the stories Noctis told of her, and he admitted to Sora that he had fallen in love with her easily. But she had ultimately lost her life in the war. Noctis missed her every day.

    Sora felt sick that he didn’t have to imagine Riku dying. He’d seen it happen, powerless to stop it. But, he reminded himself, Riku was still alive even if he wasn’t with Sora. Sora was lucky.

    Once they had finished their meal Noctis tailed Sora to his room, promising he would return personally in the morning to escort Sora to Prompto. They bid each other good night, then Sora was left alone in his room.

    The first thing he did was strip out of the suit and go through the rest of the new clothes he’d been given. A duffle bag rested on one of the shelves, so Sora began to pack the four tee shirts, three pairs of pants—he kept the outdoor gear ones, leaving the jeans folded on the shelf because he would never wear jeans a day in his life—socks, underwear, the light jacket and heavy coat he’d been gifted. That left his own outfit, which someone had cleaned and laid on the bed for him while he’d been at dinner.

    Sora briefly entertained the idea of getting used to such a cushy lifestyle. Having fresh clothes, nowhere to be, and full course dinners was a treat. But that’s all it was. A special occasion because someone needed him to achieve their own goals.

    What would Riku say to Sora allowing himself to be used like this? When he had been fighting to defeat Xehanort it had been personal. The man had corrupted his best friend, tried to corrupt Sora, murdered his other best friend, and generally caused suffering to a bunch of people Sora had been connected to his entire life. The Niflheim Empire had done no such thing, except use Kairi’s—or more accurately, Namine’s—powers to their advantage. Much like Noctis was planning to use Sora.

    Riku would tell him he was being too nice, thinking with his heart again instead of his head. Being _reckless_ to throw his lot in with strangers and enemies alike. Sora would argue back that he was doing it for the three of them so they could finally be together and be happy. Riku would laugh, but give in. Because Sora was right. It was what they all wanted. Kairi herself had admitted that she wanted to be a part of Sora’s life forever. Sora himself couldn’t imagine life without her.

    And Riku…Riku wanted to be in Sora’s life. Sora couldn’t doubt that, wouldn’t allow himself to. If Riku didn’t he wouldn’t have come after Sora in the dream world, or stood by his side when everyone else had died in the Keyblade Graveyard, or spent a year helping piece Sora’ memories back together.

    Sora flopped back on his bed and heaved a sigh. It was silly for him to debate with himself so much. He needed to turn his brain off.

    Sora shuffled around in the covers for a while, trying his best to fall asleep. But as the minutes dragged on, he began to remember more of the nightmare he’d had the night before. He didn’t want to experience that again. He wanted to have a nice dream of Riku, a happy one. Maybe even a romantic one if he was lucky.

    With a frustrated groan, Sora leaned over and picked his phone up off the nightstand. It hadn’t lost its charge while he’d been here but the clock was frozen and it had no signal. The Classic Kingdom games still worked, but Sora wasn’t interested in those. He wanted to talk to Riku.

    His heart hurt. How long would it be before he got to see Riku again? Lauriam had said he’d been here for a month and Sora knew it had only been two days for himself. Time moved so quickly here compared to the Realm of Light, Sora could be here for _years_ before they escaped while only days passed back home. That thought carved a lonely hole in his stomach.

    The idea was silly, but…maybe Riku would get his texts. Sora typed one out and sent it. The notification spun in endless circles. Sora turned off the phone and lightly tossed it on the floor. There was no point in watching it.

    _I miss you_.


	5. Cars are scary…or maybe it’s just Noctis’ driving

    A personal escort from Noctis not only meant they would travel together, but that Noctis would drive one of the most magnificent machines Sora had ever seen. Her name was _Regalia_ , and the deep sparkling blue of the paint was only one piece of her beauty. She was _fast_. As they rushed through the streets of Lucis Sora held tight to the duffle bag in his lap. It had been a long, _long_ time since he had been in any vehicle other than the Gummy Ship, and while he knew the Gummy Ship went much faster than this car it at least contained its passengers. The only thing preventing Sora from flying out of the car around corners was a strap of fabric across his chest.

    He now understood why Gladio had volunteered to sit in the back.

    Sora did his best to distract himself by asking Noctis questions about buildings, monuments, and parks they drove past. Noctis knew the history of the entire country—Sora guessed because he had watched it build from the ground up rather than studied texts—and enthusiastically told Sora stories in response. The way he told them indicated to Sora that Gladio and Ignis didn’t know Noctis was from another world. It made Sora wonder how he’d become king of the place, and how he’d kept that title over what sounded like _centuries_ that he’d been trapped on this world. Surely someone would have noticed their king didn’t age?

    The car rolled to a stop, and Sora looked forward to find that they’d come to…well he wasn’t sure what it was. A few lines of vehicles were between them and a row of gates and small huts. The drivers would pull up to the hut, speak with the person inside, then be let through the gate.

    “Where are we?” Sora asked.

    “This is the border between my kingdom and the smaller kingdom of Shibuya. You read about it, right?” Noctis began to steer the car to the left of all the lines where a hut sat without anyone trying to pass through its gate.

    He nodded. “Why do people have to stop?”

    “We keep inventory of all the supplies shipped back and forth. It helps us know how much the war costs.” Ignis answered.

    That made sense. Sora knew from how many times he’d run out of potions just how important keeping track of stuff was.

    The attendant wove them through quickly and they were once again racing through lamp-lit streets. Shibuya was dramatically different from Lucis and not in the way Sora would have expected—a distinct kingdom. Rather, Shibuya was still city block after city block, but ravaged by war. Blocks would pass where the buildings were normal but abandoned. Then, blocks would be smashed to smithereens, mechanical parts strewn everywhere sometimes with accompanying blood smears. The feeling of the place was eerie.

    Finally, Noctis pulled the _Regalia_ into a gaping hole punched through the bottom three floors of a skyscraper. The inside was hallowed out with some of the building’s support beams looming in the near-dark. The car crawled toward the center before Noctis cut the engine. Sora moved to get out, but both Gladio and Noctis set their hands on his shoulders. Sora glanced at Noctis, who merely shook his head. Sora guessed they had some kind of protocol to indicate they weren’t enemies. That was pretty cool. He wondered what other codes they had, and which ones he would learn.

    They didn’t have to wait long before two figures became visible just a handful of feet away from the passenger side. Sora’s fingers itched to draw his keyblade—the atmosphere of the place made him nervous, but he resisted because he knew they were in friendly territory. Although, one was leveling a gun at the car and the other held a sword at his side—not a gesture of friendship.

    Sora felt a chill run down his spine. A lone red eye glowed in the dark, watching him.

    “Noct?” The gunman asked, walking around the front of the _Regalia_ to squint at Noctis.

    “Hey, Prompt.” Noctis greeted, smiling as though there weren’t a gun in his face.

    “Hey, sorry, always have to be careful ya know? You guys can get out.” Prompto lowered his weapon.

    With that, the other three exited the car. Sora followed their lead. Yozora hadn’t moved from the side of the car, so Sora had to awkwardly step around him to avoid smacking him with his duffle bag. Lauriam’s warning lay heavy in his mind and his own trepidations about having such a familiar-faced stranger came rushing back. It didn’t seem like he would be able to keep his distance today, however, because Yozora bumped Sora’s shoulder as they all began to go further into the building, up stair cases and through devastated office floors.

    “Excited?”

    His voice pinched Sora’s heart. Not even Sora’s most plastic smile could form on his lips, so he didn’t bother looking over.

    “Hm? Oh, well. I don’t really know what I’m doing here to _be_ excited about.” The explanations he’d gotten so far had been too vague for his liking.

    “I think the general idea is to train you in our techniques. The Master says your kingdom isn’t the same, and it will take you a while to adjust.”

    Yozora nudged him again, and this time Sora felt it would be rude not to visually acknowledge him even if his heart tugged.

    “Personally, I don’t think it will take you long. Seeing you fight—you’re better than most.”

    Sora stumbled over a thank you for the complement. Prompto saved him from any more awkward conversation by calling him forward. The two of them went into a small side room of the floor they were on while the others remained in the office space with smashed cubicles and broken technology.

    The small room had a single functioning lamp set upon a small desk next to a cot and two wool blankets were folded on top of a pillow. Otherwise, the closet-sized space was empty.

    “It’s not much, compared to home—er, the castle—but it’s safe. This building is part of our base camp for the higher ranked officers. It’s far enough from the front line that we don’t have to worry about bombs, but close enough we can send help in a hurry.” Prompto’s explanation was sheepish, as though he expected Sora to be upset about being given someplace other than an alleyway to sit.

    Sora was a little humbled that he would be staying with high ranked officers. Was he really that valuable? Well, to Noctis and his purposes, yes. But to the people who actually called Eos home? What could he do that they couldn’t, just because he had a keyblade?

    Sora observed the room for another second before dumping his duffle on the cot. Then he turned to finally see his companion in the light. His surprise must have been evident, because Prompto tilted his head—interpreting incorrectly, but that was a good thing.

    “Is it alright?”

    Prompto looked like Roxas with his messy blonde hair and blue eyes. But, his voice was soft like Ventus. Why did this world have to cause Sora’s heart so much stress? Why couldn’t these strangers look like strangers? The familiarity wasn’t helping Sora accept the world as reality rather than a fabrication.

    “Um, yeah. But um…is there a bathroom?” Sora used the first thing that came to mind as a cover for his stall-out.

    Prompto laughed, “Yeah! I’ll show you. This building is fully operational, it just doesn’t look it. Cover and all.”

    Sora followed him out of the room and down a short hall to a bathroom with toilet and shower. It was minimal, but that was all he needed.

    They joined up with the others once again, standing in a circle in the office space. Noctis came over to Sora and placed a hand on either shoulder. The look he gave was reminiscent of the serious king Sora had met two days ago.

    “So, Sora, you’re going to be on Prompto’s reconnaissance team. I’ll come by to say hi every now and then, otherwise you’re going to be under his charge. Remember your goal?”

    Yes—Sora had to rescue Kairi, then connect with the heart of this world so they could all go home. Oh, and he couldn’t tell anyone else. World order and all that.

    He gave Noctis a salute. “Yes sir.”

    Noctis laughed, then turned his attention to Prompto, releasing Sora in favor of clapping his friend’s shoulder.

    “Okay. Gladio, Iggy, and I have some business to attend to with some of the other officers, so you guys are on your own. Don’t cause too much trouble.” He winked.

    Prompto’s grin was downright wicked, “Right, no trouble at all.”

    With hasty goodbyes Noctis and his friends left. Prompto gestured Sora to follow him, and they fell in line with Yozora in back. They continued up and up until Sora was sure there couldn’t be any more building above them. The final staircase popped them out into a floor whose walls were entirely replaced with floor-to-ceiling windows. The most people Sora had seen in the world so far scurried about. People were in tactical gear, business clothes, civilian clothes, even a few in pajamas as they hustled around between cubicles, shouting or whispering to share information in the chaos. Each had what Sora assumed were cellphones, which were large and had a weird screen—solid blue with layers of data and information. Some even appeared three dimensional when Sora got a direct look.

    The chaos had been so distracting that Sora had frozen and forgotten he was following Prompto. Someone nudged his back, reorienting him, and he found that Prompto was already across the room. Sora joined him standing in front of the part of the massive window that over looked the small kingdom in the direction of Lucis. Yozora stepped up on Sora’s right.

    “This is our headquarters. There used to be more of us, but the war’s been too long.” Prompto said, then he began pointing out various buildings of significance.

    Two blocks away was another hideout comprised of two skyscrapers where the lower ranked officers and soldiers lived. To the left about five blocks was another headquarters in a smaller building which had once been a department store. Prompto guessed that Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis had gone to that building, because it was the one their spies operated out of. Finally, he pointed out a massive stadium in the distance.

    “That’s where we keep the toys. I’m going to take you there to meet with Cindy once we get you set up in the computer.”

    “Toys?”

    Yozora and Prompto shared a grin, which had Sora both curious and concerned.

    “You’ll see. Come on, Vanille’s desk is just over here.” Yozora indicated for Sora to follow, so follow he did.

    At least his life here was going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to pick up speed...arrr ya ready kids?
> 
> Thanks for reading and as always let me know if there's any grammatical/spelling weirdness. Also, I love every single one of your comments and thank all of you for enjoying this so much.
> 
> Finally, if there are any tags you guys think I should add let me know. I'm not great at tagging stuff.
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf


	6. The Prison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has torture briefly described within. Feel free to skip what you need to.

    Sora didn’t keep track of the passing time, but Lauriam did. Whenever he would come by headquarters and Sora caught him, he’d tell Sora how many months had gone by since they’d all been on this isolated world. So far Sora had been here half a year.

    It blew his mind that Eos and the war had become his life. He never lost sight of his true goals—save Kairi, connect to the world, go home—but it was fun and easy to lose himself in the drama of battle. Especially because of the _toys_.

    Driving a mech suit would never get old. There was something carnally satisfying about smashing metal-fist against metal-face.

    Sure, he still used his keyblade whenever he was assigned to Prompto’s ground squad—he couldn’t afford to lose his abilities—but the days he got to drive were his favourite. The Niflheim mech suits weren’t quite as robust as those of Lucis so after Sora had gotten the hang of it he found them fairly easy enemies. Well, as long as they didn’t shoot rockets at him. Maneuvering out of the way of those had proved too difficult for the hulking machines. Noctis said he had his best scientists developing new mechs, but advancements took time—at least they had a lot of that.

    Ground squad had its fair share of drama, too, and not just the days that Elrena joined them—fighting _with_ her was incredible, now that she and Sora were on the same side—because there was no four foot thick shell to protect them from the enemies’ weapons. Prompto was specifically teaching Sora how to sneak in and out of enemy territory undetected. It wasn’t easy killing enemies without alerting more, but Sora was slowly getting the hang of it.

    Sora and Prompto were getting close, too, as Noctis had predicted. It was easy to share stories with him because his heart was as genuine and loving as Sora’s. They each loved their closest friends more than anything. Sora even learned that Prompto had struggled to value himself because he felt he would never measure up to Noctis—something Sora could relate to with Riku. They shared less emotional stories, too. Sora told Prompto modified versions of his adventures back home in the made-up kingdom Noctis had told everyone he was from. Prompto told him fun stories of his childhood in Lucis, including the time he’d adopted a stray puppy.

    Their close friendship helped on the battlefield, too. They developed a form of silent communication with one another which they quickly spread around to the rest of the squad—two men named Ravus and Cor. Ravus’ sister had been killed in the war, and Cor had been a dedicated kings’ guard his entire life. They were clever men, and though Sora didn’t get as close to them as Prompto he enjoyed working with them.

    One of the best parts of being in the thick of the war was that Sora hadn’t seen Xigbar—Luxu—since he’d first arrived. Noctis had only visited a few times, himself, but whenever Sora asked about Luxu—a whole once, if he remembered correctly—Noctis had merely said Luxu was on a top secret mission.

    Ludor joined Prompto’s squad not long after Sora so the two spent many nights up late in the skyscraper playing an assortment of card games. They’d wager small things like food or potions to add an edge to victory. Sometimes others would join them, and if the squad was a little worse for wear in the morning no one looked twice.

    Then, there was Yozora.

    Sora saw less of him than he’d expected after those first few days. That was a good thing, without a doubt, because every time he was around Sora teetered on the edge of anxiety. It was easier to lose himself in this world when he didn’t have a jarring reminder of the real life he was missing hovering a few feet away from him. But, Yozora was only ever friendly, so Sora did his best to return the favor—for a while. At first, Lauriam’s warning about Yozora’s personality seemed a bit farfetched the more Sora got to know him. Sure, Yozora had some of the most hatred toward the enemy out of anyone Sora had met so far, but Sora was sure that hate was justified.

   How he came to learn Yozora’s story was a bit unorthodox—and the result changed his perception of the man permanently.

    Sora had been practicing magic in the stadium with Ignis a few months ago, unaware that they were being watched until Yozora hopped beside Sora and helped him strike down the final fake enemy Ignis had generated. The sensation of team work, so similar to the times he’d fought with Riku, had left Sora with chills for days.

   Yozora had then asked if he could take Sora for the rest of the day, and Ignis had relented. Sora had been lead to a building on the south end of Shibuya where he’d never been. There was a prison there, seemingly unused—until they went inside. The empty concrete halls echoed their footsteps. Sora had heard shouting below and had been thankful that they weren’t walking passed any cells. They’d come to a heavy bolted door which required a passcode to open. Yozora led him through two more of those doors before they were in a room with a one-way mirror, a few microphones, and a switchboard that had too many buttons and tabs for Sora to begin to understand.

    On the other side of the mirror was what Yozora had described as a vice—the machine hung from the ceiling, gears and joints jutting out every-which-way with what appeared to be a multitude of arms and an upside-down chair back closest to the ground. Yozora explained that the two adjustable metal rings on the lowest and thickest of the machine’s arms formed shackles for a prisoner’s arms, and that the prisoner’s back would be pushed up against the flat surface so that another metal ring could be placed around their neck. The machine was adjustable from inside the control room they were in so it could lift the prisoner from the ground. The switchboard could do more than that, though, as Sora was soon to discover.

    Yozora’s role in the war was far more sinister than anyone else’s. He was in charge of interrogating magitek clones. The conversation in which Sora learned that was the same one he learned about Yozora’s story.

    The Empire had murdered his family when he was nine and tried to turn him into a magitek soldier. They were doing twisted experiments to merge magitek with flesh and bone. The idea was to create a perfect soldier, one that could think and strategize yet not feel an ounce of pain in battle. It hadn’t worked, for the most part, until they’d started making clones. Real people wouldn’t survive the merge or would defect and have to be euthanized. Yozora had been one of the lucky ones, rescued at fourteen in a raid by Lucis soldiers. The Master had taken him in and used his mental map of the lab he’d been kept in to stage more infiltrations. When copies of himself had begun to pop up, Yozora had been placed on the interrogation team in order to quell any doubts of who was caught in the vice. It had only taken a year after for Yozora to become the lead interrogator.

    After being forced to watch many such sessions over the past three months, Sora knew why. He also came to realize why Lauriam had warned him to stay away.

    Yozora was merciless.

    All kind, friendly demeanor he gave to Sora was replaced with cold, hate-fueled schadenfreude. His hands would fly over the switchboard, combining horrific torture methods to get the answers he wanted. Though the clones couldn’t feel pain, most felt fear. Sometimes the sight of a disc blade would be enough to send them into a babbling panic, or sometimes it was the sensation of a needle plunging into their jawbone. Sometimes it took the loss of a finger, electrocution, water, fire, ice… Other times, and Sora had yet to see one of these and never wanted to, the clone wouldn’t say a word. They would die with their secrets sealed.

    Sora began to fear Yozora. It was an unintended consequence on Yozora’s part, but really should have been expected. The anxiety he had before became worse whenever he learned that Yozora was looking for him, to the point where he would try to go with the ground squad more often than the mechs. It was more of an event for Sora to return to headquarters when he was in the middle of sneaking through an Empire base with Prompto than smashing robots on a battle field. Prompto assumed Sora’s increased interest in his squad meant Sora was taking his role of rescuing Kairi more seriously, which was fine with Sora. The more effort he put into the recon missions the sooner he could rescue Kairi and they could get out of this crazy world where a copy of his best friend enjoyed torturing people.

    But Sora couldn’t always escape him. Today was one of those days. He’d gotten out of the shower to find Yozora waiting for him, slouched against the wall next to his door.

    “Morning, Sora.” He greeted, standing and smiling as though he were completely sane and not sadistic.

    “Morning.” Sora went in his room.

    Yozora hovered by the door as Sora dug around in his duffle for the shirt of the outfit the fairies had given him. He already knew there was no point in gathering his tactical gear today. He picked up the new phone Vanille had given him way back on that first day he’d been brought to this skyscraper, and sent a quick message to Prompto telling him where he’d be. Once he was dressed and had everything he’d need for the day—both phones, water bottle, snacks—he turned to Yozora.

    “Ready.”

    Yozora gave a nod, and they made their way down the endless staircase to the entryway. Sora’s legs had gotten ridiculously strong over the six months he’d spent going up and down these stairs every day. It sometimes annoyed him that the Lucis’ scientists hadn’t fixed the elevators, but at the same time it was a useful form of training. Though admittedly, during the first month he’d given up a few times and slept on the concrete floor of the entryway with his jacket as a pillow. Prompto and Ludor had even joined him in solidarity once.

    The cramped sporty car Yozora drove wasn’t nearly as luxurious and roomy as the _Regalia_ , but it drove fast and smooth enough for them to get to the south end of the small kingdom in just twenty minutes. Sora preferred Yozora’s driving because he took corners a lot slower than Noctis, so Sora wasn’t forced to have a death-grip on the door. Oh, and it had a closed cab which really made the difference when they hurtled down streets at one-hundred and forty kilometers an hour.

    The torture-team, as Sora had dubbed them, were already set up in the control room when they arrived. The torture-team was comprised of two people outside of Yozora—a woman named Aranea who was an ex-Empire mercenary who had defected once Lucis had offered her a better contract, and a self-interested man named Dino whose main concern was making sure every report was fact-checked and had his name on it.

    The vice hung empty on the other side of the mirror, waiting for its next victim like a snake in the jungle. Sora chose to ignore it in favor of claiming a chair in the corner of the room while Yozora checked and double-checked that everything was ready to go. Once everything was ready, Yozora pressed a button on the switchboard that summoned the guards to bring in the prisoner. Sora’s stomach clenched, and he crossed his arms over his chest to try and comfort himself a little. He hated that he had to be here.

    Three guards entered with a foot-bound man who they unceremoniously locked into the vice. One of them stood in front of the prisoner, blocking him from view as he was secured. Once finished the guards dismissed themselves, leaving the prisoner alone in the room.

    Sora’s heart stopped.

    Silver hair, long and shaggy, framed a pointed jaw. His outfit was black and blue with checkered patches on the lapels and cuffs. The man’s eyes were closed, but when Yozora cleared his throat over the mic to get the prisoner’s attention, he opened them.

    One teal, one red. A clone.

    Sora could breathe again.

    The torture session went much like any other, except Sora couldn’t bring himself to watch most of it. This was the first clone he’d seen of Yozora, and though he _knew_ it wasn’t…wasn’t…. He glanced up. The disc blade dug into the clone’s face, revealing bone.

    Sora’s head spun. The ground was suddenly a lot closer, then immediately farther away. He stumbled up and to the door, mumbling some kind of excuse before racing for the bathroom down the hall. Once inside he sank to the floor next to the door, unable to remain standing on quivering legs. He tucked his head between his knees and pressed on the back of his neck, trying his best to ground himself.

    It wasn’t real. Riku wasn’t here. Riku was at home, on the Islands, safe with Kairi and Roxas and Xion and Isa and Lea and Mickey and Donald and Goofy and and and…Riku wasn’t here. Riku wasn’t in that torture chamber. Riku wasn’t here.

    Sora could barely breathe, air coming in choked gasps. Why couldn’t he just be dead, instead of in this wrong world where everything was too different but too similar to reality, and he had to watch a twisted version of the man he loved be ripped to pieces? If he wasn’t able to go home he’d take nothing over _this_.

    Something buzzed in his pocket, and Sora pulled out his gummyphone on instinct. He stared at it for a while, before opening a Classic Kingdom game. It would be mindless, something to distract him and get his body to calm down. It worked after thirty minutes or so, but Sora kept playing. He had high scores to beat and didn’t want to think about anything else.

    Yozora came looking for him after an hour, concerned that Sora wasn’t answering his texts. Sora didn’t bother to answer when asked if he was okay. He wasn’t, and there was no point in lying. It didn’t matter what Yozora would think of that, so long as he stopped bringing Sora to this place.

    The car ride back to headquarters was awkward. Yozora usually chatted about the intel he’d gathered, and Sora would help him put the pieces of the puzzle together. This time, though, they were silent for most of the drive before Yozora spoke up, hesitant with light teasing.

    “Didn’t know you cared so much.”

    Sora turned from watching the city to give him a confused look.

    “Cared about what?”

    “Me. It was because that one looked like me, right?” He glanced over at Sora.

    Sora shrugged. Indirectly, sure. But he wasn’t about to explain that, so he kept his answer short.

    “Yeah.”

    Yozora’s smile was far too reminiscent of the soft one Riku reserved for Sora alone. Sora felt nauseous.

    “I won’t bring you to those, then.”

    Sora wished he could ask to never be brought to _any_ again.

    “Thanks.”

    Thankfully that was the end of the conversation. Sora would let Yozora do with that information as he would, uncaring for any consequences of indicating he valued the man. If things went right, Sora would be out of this place sooner than later and Yozora would cease to haunt him. Every night after spending the day with Yozora brought nightmares similar to the first, and as Sora got out of the car and began the climb up the stairs, he was loath for night to come.

    He spent the few remaining hours of the day helping Vanille and her tech team with their tasks. They’d been incredible in teaching Sora all there was to know about computers, and though the first month had been touch-and-go, he was finally understanding. Everyone back home was going to be so impressed.

    The day was standardized to end at six p.m. since there was no light to indicate real daylight, and after that everyone went their separate ways or kept working. Sora spent a few extra hours with Vanille before she retired, then he sought out Ludor for games.

    When he was finally abandoned to his tiny room, Sora spent yet another hour playing games before it became nearly impossible to keep his tear-glued eyes open. Before he folded, though, Sora sent a text to Riku with a word he rarely used to display the gravity of his situation.

_This place is so fucked up. Help me, Riku. Please._

   


	7. Finding Inspiration

    Though small, the Twilight Town bungalow Isa and Lea had been gifted by King Mickey had become the most common hang out spot for the Light Guardians. Well, most of them. Master Aqua, Terra, and Ventus had gone back to live on their world though they had promised to visit within the month, and King Mickey, Donald and Goofy had obligations back on their own home world. Their absences were no issue, though, because the Guardians gained three new friends—Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

    Kairi liked that their crowd had more people her age in it. Though Lea was wonderful she had sometimes ached for more relatable company during their training. That had been part of why she’d written so many letters to Sora.

    She was in the middle of another such letter now. The living room of the bungalow had two long and cozy couches on either side of a coffee table, creating enough space for everyone to relax and mingle. Kairi was curled up against the arm of one such couch with her feet tucked under her to brace the notepad on her knees. Namine sat beside her drawing on her own notepad, and across from them was Riku.

    Riku, who was lying on his side listlessly staring at the legs of the coffee table.

    Out of all of them, Riku had taken the loss of Sora the hardest. When Kairi had returned alone Riku had crushed her in a hug, then the first thing he’d asked was, ‘ _Where’s Sora?_ ’. Kairi had burst into sobs, unable to look at him while she explained.

    Sora had saved her. She had been unable to save him. His heart was lost—Kairi could no longer feel it. It made her sad to doubt the paopu legend was anything more than symbolic.

    Riku had barely spoken to anyone since. In fact, he’d barely been around since. He’d joined them all at the beach the day after Kairi came home then after that he disappeared for two days. He’d shown up at the bungalow this morning and had been on the couch since. Kairi was perturbed. Riku was always the one with the game plan, the well-thought out process of how to save the day. He was their ring-leader, never wavering from the victorious horizon.

    To see him lose hope like this was downright scary.

    “Riku, do you need water?” Namine spoke up.

    Kairi looked down at her paper to pretend she hadn’t been frowning at Riku in case he looked up. He didn’t.

    “No.”

    His voice was scratchy. Had he been crying? Kairi shook her head at herself—of course he’d been crying. He’d lost Sora.

    “Snacks?”

    “No.”

    Namine tapped her pencil on Kairi’s notepad. When she looked up, Namine meaningfully tipped her head at Riku. She wanted Kairi to say something.

    Kairi didn’t know what to say. When Riku had been upset as kids Sora had always been there to help her cheer him up. Sora had been the one with the ideas, then, not Kairi. Considering how much Riku had changed in the past four years, too, she was really out of her depth. Perhaps sharing her coping mechanism would help?

    “Do you want to write to him?”

    Riku didn’t respond. Nor did he move a centimeter. Kairi tried again.

    “While I was training, I would write him letters to feel connected to him. I’m doing the same now. I never plan to show him,” she chose her words carefully there, “But they help me when I miss him.”

    Riku’s eyes flicked up to hers.

    “There’s no point. You said it yourself, you can’t feel his heart. And if _you_ can’t, then he really is…”

    Riku didn’t finish that sentence. He didn’t have to for Kairi to know what he meant. She set her notebook on the table, pen on top, then left the room to fetch some water for all three of them. Being around Riku was going to become difficult the more he moped. Well, grieved, though Kairi wished his behaviour was a bit more… _something_ , instead of an empty shell of her best friend no matter how much he was hurting. Namine took her water with a thank you. Kairi didn’t bother to hand Riku his, just set it on a coaster before returning to her seat.

    The two women dropped the conversation, returning to their projects while Riku spaced out again.

    “Ha! We won!”

    Kairi and Namine turned their heads toward the right where Roxas had just come in through the front door. He was carrying two bags of groceries with Lea on his heels holding another two bags. They’d gone out to get enough food to host a barbeque that night—Kairi had nearly forgotten once Riku had arrived.

    “Hey, Master Mopey’s here! Welcome back.” Lea greeted as he passed behind Riku’s couch.

    He and Roxas disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes, chatting happily with one another and rustling the grocery bags like a flock of geese taking off. Kairi tried not to giggle at Riku’s suddenly soured face. If that was all Lea needed to get some sort of reaction, he was going to have to be the one to console Riku. That would be a sight. Namine must have been thinking something similar, because she shared a smile with Kairi.

    Xion and Isa appeared through the door and disappeared into the kitchen with their own bags of groceries, and there was some chatter before Roxas and Lea returned to the living room.

    Roxas plopped himself between Namine and Kairi. Lea tapped Riku’s feet.

    “You’re hogging my couch.”

    Riku sat up and tucked his knees to his chest. Kairi and Namine bore witness to a silent conversation between Roxas and Lea before Lea huffed and switched his attention to Riku.

    “Joining us for the barbeque?” He asked as an awkward conversation starter.

    Riku shrugged. Lea glanced helplessly at Roxas, then Kairi. But none of them knew what else to try.

    Kairi hated to see her best friend this tortured. He was drawing shallow breaths that made her nervous. Really, she’d never seen Riku so… _lost_. Oh, what would Sora _do_? He’d never allow Riku to wallow in misery like this because it hurt him, too. Sora loved Riku too much to—wait. That was it!

    “Hey, Riku? Come outside with me?” She asked, tucking her notepad and pen to her chest and going over to him.

    Riku looked up, fresh tears in his eyes. Kairi shifted so she could offer him a hand. He took it, and she lead him outside while the others watched in baffled silence. She could explain later, if they asked. Right now Riku needed to be alone with Sora—or at least, his memories of Sora.

    They sat on the front lawn underneath one of the pine trees. Riku leaned his back against the tree and rubbed at his face, smearing tears around so his skin shone. Kairi sat cross-legged beside him, close but not touching. She and Riku had never had a physically comfortable relationship, not the way Sora had with both of them. Right now she wished that were different so giving him a hug would feel helpful rather than weird.

    Kairi handed her notepad to him, but he didn’t look at it until she pointed at the first word with her finger.

    “ _Sora,_ ” she read aloud, “ _I hope you’re finding new adventures and making lots of friends, wherever you are. I’m making new friends, too. Roxas introduced me to Hayner, Pence, and Olette, though I’d already met them a year or so ago. Remember, when Axel kidnapped me? They helped me escape him. It’s probably best not to dwell on that memory, though. Lea’s still embarrassed about that._

_“All of us have been spending time together in Twilight Town. This place has started to feel a bit like home, though I still prefer our real home. Speaking of, we finally took Xion and Roxas to the beach! They loved the play island and can’t wait for you to come back so we can all go again._

_“We can’t wait for you to come back in general. We all miss you so much. I miss you so much. You always know how to brighten my day and help me feel like everything is alright. Even now, I imagine your smile and know that we will find you. Don’t lose hope because I won’t either! We’re connected, remember? We can always find each other, even if it takes a while. Stay safe, wherever you are._

_“Love, Kairi._ ”

    Riku pushed the notepad back at Kairi, drawing his knees up again and tucking his head low so she couldn’t see his eyes. His arms wrapped around his chest, and quiet sobs shook his body. Kairi couldn’t stand that, weirdness be damned. She set the notepad on the ground and shuffled around so that she could put her arms over Riku’s shoulders. At first he didn’t relax, but after a moment he accepted his fate and leaned into the embrace, his right arm sliding behind Kairi’s back to balance.

    “I know you miss him, but you can’t give up on him. Sora needs us—needs _you_ —now more than ever.” Kairi offered, her tone gentle yet stern.

    “He’s _dead_.” Riku choked out.

    His hand tightened on the fabric of the back of her hoodie.

    “Sora will come back.” She tried again, her own voice cracking with withheld tears.

    Riku’s heartbreak was going to get to her before long. Kairi loved Sora, too, after all.

    “I failed him, Kai.”

    “No, you haven’t. You just need the courage to go after him. Remember how long he spent looking for you? I’m sure there were plenty of times he felt like he’d never find you—but he never gave up on you.”

    Riku didn’t respond, just kept crying and shaking like a leaf. What else could she say? She was so sure he would find Sora if he just trusted his heart to show him the way. Maybe that was part of the issue—did Riku doubt he could find Sora because he doubted their bond?

    Kairi recalled the paopu she had shared with Sora. Even if the magic wasn’t real, it had created a new confidence within her. She and Sora would never be separated for too long, no matter what. After all he and Sora had been through, though, Riku probably had a harder time feeling that way. Kairi found that absurd. Sora would make every effort he could to get back to Riku. It was time that Riku knew that. 

    “I’m sure that wherever he is, Sora’s trying his best to get back to you. He loves you, you know.”

    Riku shook his head then leaned away, breaking their hug. His head still hung low and this time he didn’t bother to wipe away his tears.

    “ _You’re_ the one he’s coming back for.” Though she was pleased with how little bitterness Riku had spoken with, the defeated acceptance simply wouldn’t do.

    Kairi had expected them to have this conversation at some point. The jealousy Riku had fostered over Kairi and Sora’s friendship had caused so many fights between them as kids, so much resentment as teens, and would permanently wedge itself between them as adults if Kairi didn’t put a stop to it now.

    Kairi set the notepad and pen in Riku’s lap.

    “Riku. Sora is my best friend and yes we love each other very much. But I’m not the one he wants to spend his life with. That’s _you_. Now, you’re not allowed to eat until you show me you wrote to Sora.”

    With that, she stood and went inside to join the others. Perhaps that new information would be enough to spur Riku into action. Or at least he would take her threat seriously.

    Hopefully Sora wouldn’t get too mad at her for sharing his secret.

~

    Riku should know by now not to doubt Kairi. Writing to Sora improved his mood dramatically. Though his letter was simple, like Kairi’s, Riku imagined Sora’s gentle smile as he read it and how he’d laugh at the inside jokes Riku snuck in.

    While the barbeque and time spent with everyone didn’t take his mind off Sora, they did help him feel more optimistic—even to the point where he began to doubt himself. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Sora _wasn’t_ dead. Their connection had been severed, but any number of things could have caused that.

    After the barbeque, Xion and Roxas invited Kairi, Namine, and Riku outside to stargaze. Lea had whined about not being invited, but when Isa whispered something in his ear everyone laughed at how quickly he’d changed his mind.

    The two of them reminded Riku of what Kairi had said, and he asked if he could borrow her notepad again. While the others laid in the cleared area of the lawn and gawked at the sheer number of stars in the sky, Riku sat against the same tree and wrote a second letter to Sora.

    This time, he made the letter far more personal, running under the assumption that Kairi’s words were true. He let himself feel the desperation, the joy, the purity of that assumption. If Sora loved him, what would Riku want to tell him…

    _Sora,_

_I’m going to find you. I promise—no, vow. I lost faith when Kairi came back alone. I thought we—I—had lost you forever. She told me I was being stupid. You’re probably thinking it. I’m thinking it, now. Just because I can’t feel your heart doesn’t mean you’re gone._

_There’s something I have to tell you, Sora. Something I’ve kept hidden from you for a long time._

_I love you._

_You might not believe it from some of the awful things I did, but I hope I’ve made up for them. I’ve tried, at least._

_Do you remember the song we created in the dream worlds? I came up with a name for it, a while ago. A phrase I found in a book once that matches how I think of you._

_I promise I’ll tell you all of this—and more—when I find you._

_See you soon, Sora._

_Riku_

    Though the letter was short, Riku was satisfied. It gave away his position without giving everything. Not that Sora would ever read it—Riku would still have to tell him in person.

    Riku folded the letter up and stuffed it in his pants’ pocket, then laid down next to the others to join in their creation of constellations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you all liked getting a taste of Riku--there's more to come!  
> Additionally, and I'll only say it once for this fic, I would greatly appreciate if all comments about Kairi are only positive. I love her dearly. (Though please feel free to critique my interpretation of her!)  
> Next on the docket, this fic has 30,000 words in my word doc right now (and there will be more), so have no fear that there is LOTS left to happen. That being said, I'm reorganizing a few of the upcoming chapters so updates might slow down soon.  
> <3 sherlockwolf


	8. Awakening

    One night, a year and three-odd months into his time in Eos, Sora woke in the early hours of the morning. He wasn’t sure what startled him, and for a while he lay on his cot and listened for the sound of an intruder or battle. The Empire was being pushed back from Shibuya, though, so it didn’t make sense for either of those to be happening.

    He tucked his hands against his chest, over his heart. He could feel it pounding, fast and hard. Maybe he’d been dreaming about something scary—he couldn’t remember, but that was a good thing. The dreams he did remember were horrific.

    Forcing himself to sleep never worked anymore, so Sora reached for his gummyphone on the desk—quite an effort, considering he had his back to the thing. He’d gotten bored of the Classic Kingdom games a few months ago, having beat every single one of them with perfect scores. Now, he perused through his texts to Riku. All of them had red X’s underneath the text bubbles with black text that mocked his attempts to reach his friend. Sometimes Sora wondered if he should stop. He wasn’t quite sure how long he’d been gone in time back home, but surely if it had been over a year in Eos it had been a while? He’d forgotten the calculation Lauriam had given him during one of those early months. Regardless, he couldn’t keep texting a ghost. The action only served to make his heart heavy.

    Speaking of his heart, it felt weird. Not the organ itself, but the magic within. It felt like something had clicked, like an essential resistor had been missing and was now replaced. A complete puzzle. A…a light in the dark.

    Riku.

    It felt like _Riku._

How could he have not noticed that? Eyes squeezed shut, Sora dove into his heart. It had become an easier and easier task, after Noctis had asked him to practice it at least once a week. Yen Sid had once requested the same, and now Sora considered himself a pro at it.

    Within his heart he could now clearly sense the change. Kairi’s had never left him, probably because she was in Eos with him. The proximity and Sora’s dedication to learning as much about the Empire’s bases so he could find her was keeping them connected—and maybe a little paopu magic, too. But, now that Riku’s connection was back, Sora realized it had been _gone_. He’d been living without Riku—in every sense of the word—for over a _year_. A tight, sick feeling cinched his lungs, and he jarred himself from his focus with a coughing fit.

    The light of the phone dimmed, so Sora tapped the screen and tapped the bar for a new message. One last one, because he was feeling hopeful. Not that Riku would get it, because that was proven untrue. No, he was hopeful that Riku could feel the connection, too. That Riku would be able to find him soon, and they could rescue Kairi and finally, _permanently,_ go home.

    Sora set his phone back on the desk and daydreamed about being on the beach with Riku and Kairi until he fell asleep.

    _Riku?_


	9. Rescue Mission

    The next morning Riku had a plan. He’d spent the night sleeping on Lea’s couch just to spite him—the gummy ship was only a short hike away. Over breakfast he and Kairi sat at the small dining table and discussed every detail of his idea.

    Riku was going to follow his heart to Sora, and if he wasn’t back in a week Kairi would ask King Mickey to try and use other methods to bring them back. No one else was allowed to follow Riku, though. Kairi and Riku agreed that that would be best because Sora didn’t deserve to be alone and they didn’t want to undo his hard work of reviving Kairi. Plus, she wanted to stay in Twilight Town and train. She still had a long way to go to catch up with Riku and Sora, and was determined to get there.

    Riku took the gummy ship to the Keyblade Graveyard. He chose that world because it had been the place Sora had left him and it was the last place any random passerby would go so the gummy ship wouldn’t be stolen. A win-win.

    The wind pushed at his back as he stood on the dirt path amongst the fields of keyblades. It seemed to be beckoning him on, urgently encouraging him to go. Riku’s heart swelled with its own urgency. He was going to find Sora after so many days of thinking he couldn’t. He just hoped Sora wouldn’t be mad at him for waiting so long to get his shit together.

    Riku lifted Braveheart above his head, closed his eyes, and imagined that Sora was floating in the sky above him, that dorky grin on his face teasing Riku to play tag with him. That’s what this was, really, just a long, torturous game of tag. And he was it.

~

    The asphalt under his hands was wet, though he didn’t feel any rain. He got to his feet, an involuntary gasp highlighting his surprise at his surroundings. Skyscrapers loomed above him in various states of destruction, with flashing traffic lights and shells of cars lining the streets in every direction. Where was this place? What had happened here? It looked post-apocalyptic.

    Riku began to walk, not in any particular direction, to see if he could find indications of what this world was. He found it beyond strange that Sora was in a world with such advanced technology, yet hadn’t reached out to anyone back home. That didn’t bode well.

    As if on cue, his gummyphone began to chime with incoming text after text after text. Riku made to pull it out when movement caught his eye a block away. He looked closer to find that a full squadron of armored people were piling out of one of the wrecked buildings. They began marching toward him with an unnatural gate that made him nervous.

    “Who are you?” Riku called out to the soldiers, but there was no response.

    Then they began firing at him. Riku ducked behind a park bench and drew Braveheart. He let the barrage of rays whip past him for a moment, observing the squadron through the slats and planning his strategy of attack. Then, he jumped. One of his favourite battle skills was the ability to turn himself into pure energy and it was beyond useful when faced with a group of enemies. He slashed through one after another, the chime of the phone adding a weird ambiance to the carnage.

    He still didn’t have time to pick it up after the squadron lay in sizzling, sparking heaps of metal at his feet. There was a lone person running toward him two blocks to his left—a person he knew.

    “No way, never thought I’d see you again.” The blonde man said as he came up to Riku.

    Riku dismissed his keyblade and crossed his arms over his untucked collared shirt.

    “Joshua? Where are we?”

    “We’re in my home world, Eos. More specifically, the kingdom of Shibuya. Though, it’s not like it used to be. Our world was thrown into chaos when the darkness consumed it and cut off from the other worlds. Thankfully the my friends and I came back before the cut off, but…the other kingdoms on either side of us started a war. Shibuya got caught in the middle. These soldiers,” he kicked the nearest one, sending up a puff of sparks, “are called magitek. Part machine, part tissue. Niflheim uses them—they’re the bad guys.”

    Joshua noticed something then, and tilted his head to stare at Riku. “Shouldn’t you answer that?”

    Another chime rang out from the gummyphone. He pulled it from his pocket to find the screen still loading text after text.

    All from Sora.

    Riku’s breath caught as he opened up to his and Sora’s chat. The time stamps were handfuls of minutes apart, some longer than others, but not by much. So, Sora _had_ been reaching out to him. A lot. Riku felt awful—how could he have given up on Sora when Sora hadn’t bothered to forget him for a second? The content of a lot of the messages only made it worse:

    _I miss you._

_I hope you’re okay._

_You’ll never guess who’s here._

_Don’t worry about me, this place is actually kind of cool._

_I miss you._

_Wish you were here._

_Met some nice people today._

_Riku, I’m learning about computers! Bet you don’t know what a circuit board is._

_I drove a mech again today, remember when I told you about those?_

_Miss you._

_Don’t have too much fun without me._

_Say hi to everyone for me. Maybe punch Roxas, though. He’d appreciate it more._

_Saw something today I wish I had never seen._

_I’m scared, Riku._

_I want to go home._

_This place is so fucked up, Riku. Help me. Please._

_Don’t forget about me._

_Riku?_

    “He’s been texting me.” Riku said aloud.

    Joshua smirked, “Your partner? His name was Sora, right?”

    “Yeah. Sora.” Riku’s head shot up, not bothering to correct Joshua just like last time, “Have you seen him?”

    Joshua shook his head. “No. Is he here?”

    “I think so.”

    Joshua crossed his arms in thought, in that taunting _I know more than you_ way he would in the dream worlds that made Riku impatient.

    “Hmm. Well, it’s late—I’ll take you back to the others. We’ve heard about a few new keyblade wielders, and we made a new friend a while ago who might know how to help.”

    Relieved that Joshua wasn’t going to play any games with him, Riku tapped out a quick message to Sora then followed Joshua through the streets of the ghostly city.

    _Sora?_

~

    The place Joshua led him to was so inconsequential, Riku was impressed. No one would think to use such a building as a hideout when in reality it made the perfect safe house. The entrance to the day-care had a cheery mural—a couple of sheep and cows in a field with a sun and rainbows. Every animal and inanimate object had a smiling face.

    Past the entryway the place was a lot more dismal. The walls had ratty, old, fading kids’ works on them and the used-to-be classrooms had their curtains drawn. Piles of blankets, cots, random sheets of fabric from fabric stores formed beds. Riku found himself humbled—these people had gone through something he couldn’t begin to imagine. Then again they probably couldn’t imagine his life, either.

    The people they passed by didn’t offer as kind of greetings as the mural. Some nodded their heads to Joshua, others glared at Riku, some did both. He wondered what had happened to make them all so hostile toward strangers.

    Joshua led him to the last room of the hall, wherein Riku found more familiar faces. Shiki, Beat, Rhyme, and Neku were lounging in the small play room. They all jumped up when they caught sight of Riku.

    “Hey, you’re that guy’s guy!”

    “Riku? How are you here?”

    “Yo!”

    “Woa, woa, guys. He’s here to find Sora.” Joshua stepped between their eager faces and Riku.

    They all stepped back, giving Riku a once-over before turning to one another. A silent discussion occurred, and then Shiki turned to Joshua.

    “Does he know about…?”

    “Doubt it. Riku, how long were you here before I found you?” Joshua asked.

    “Five minutes?”

    The group let out a sigh.

    “Well, we’ve got some stories for you, yo.” Beat waved Riku in the room and they all sat in circle on the floor.

    Riku felt like he was five again, about to listen to storytime with his kindergarten teacher, except he doubted he was going to like this story.

~

    Riku lay awake on the makeshift bed generously donated to him by the others each offering one of their many fabrics. The ceiling had all sorts of stains on it, and in the dim glow of the street lights Riku had counted each one then formed constellations from them. Most ended up creating images that reminded him of Sora.

    He couldn’t sleep.

    The information about the world that the Shibuya kids had shared with him troubled him. Sora had been trapped in this world, Eos, in the midst of a war with a copy of Riku who was made by one enemy and controlled by another. Riku wondered if Sora had met this copy, but then he wouldn’t be surprised based on some of the texts he’d received.

    Those texts…Sora was in danger, wherever he was. At least there was hope he was actually here—Joshua’s friends and other people they knew had seen and heard plenty about a Lucis soldier who had unique and powerful magic, which Joshua and friends had recognized as that of a keyblade.

    Sora hadn’t responded to Riku’s message. The radio silence scared Riku considering just how many texts Sora had sent before he’d seen them. Riku pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it over his face. The message said sent, just like the other twenty times he’d checked. He sighed and placed his left hand over his heart, phone clenched between his fingers.

    Where in the world was Sora?

~

    The next morning Riku joined Joshua and Neku on their daily routine. Joshua promised this would take them en route to their friend who could help Riku, but otherwise he chose to remain tight-lipped about her. Riku considered this strange for someone who really seemed to like the sound of his own voice, but didn’t push it. They were already doing him a favor by helping him find Sora in the midst of a war.

    The daily routine started with delivery rounds to the other locations where Shibuya residents had holed up. North Shibuya had been least destroyed by the war, so it had become a safe haven for the country’s remaining residents who hadn’t picked a side. Inevitably that meant that the residents didn’t get help from either country and were on their own to fight off magitek and survive with only electricity and running water. Food had to come from somewhere, and admittedly Riku found their methods justified. Stealing had kept him alive more than once.

    Once that was done with and Riku had met nearly everyone within the small community, Joshua and Neku took him further into Shibuya toward the center of the country. Neku carried a basket of goods for their friend. The trek to her home was long but the scenery never changed, so much so that Riku began to imagine the entire country was comprised of a massive city. He asked, and Neku confirmed it. He added that the other countries they bordered began with massive cities of their own, and only kilometers after did they begin to fade into countryside. Neither Joshua nor Neku had ever seen those lands and while the war raged they had no desire to.

    Finally the trio came to a stop outside an old corner store. The sliding doors startled Riku—he’d never seen anything like them before. Neku and Joshua laughed at him, then lead the way to the back where a tiny staircase went up to a second level. It was at the top of the staircase that they halted, Riku behind the pair, and announced themselves.

    “Emily, it’s us, Neku and Joshua! We’ve brought food, and someone to see you. He’s a friend of ours from Traverse Town.” Joshua called out.

    Neku elbowed Rik’s side, “It’s not her real name, just so you know. She’s trying to keep a low profile.”

    Feet scuffled quietly in what sounded like a narrow hallway, then a timid voice spoke.

    “Who is it you brought?”

    “A keyblade wielder named Riku. He’s searching for his partner, Sora.” Neku answered.

    There was a gasp. “Did you say Sora?”

    The three men shared a glance.

    “Um, yes. Do you know him?” Joshua asked.

    There was no answer, but the two moved into the dimly lit hallway. Riku followed a few paces behind. They came to a small room with no lighting and three hand-made beds, though only one seemed slept in. A person dressed in white and pink robes, a hood drawn over their head, began to shuffle blankets around. Neku set the basket on the floor and helped create a fourth bed. The rest of the room was empty, save for a white and pink fox mask that hung on the curtain rod above the lone window. Slivers of artificial light seeped through the slats of the blinds.

    Each person took a seat on a pile, and Riku could now see the face of a young woman peering at him from under the hood. Her grey eyes betrayed wisdom beyond her years.

    Emily was handed the basket. She looked through it, thanking Joshua and Neku graciously before setting it aside and focusing her attention on Riku. Her hands folded together, white knuckled.

    “Show me your keyblade.” She ordered, shyness replaced with authority.

    Riku drew Braveheart. Emily let out a relieved sigh and nodded, then Riku dismissed the keyblade.

    “I am one of the Foretellers of old. Do you know about us?”

    Riku shook his head.

    “There were five of us, each given a page from the Book of Prophecies. Have you heard of it, at least?”

    He vaguely remembered Sora, Donald, and Goofy mentioning such a book to him and Mickey. He nodded.

    “Our individual pages each gave us a role to fulfill in the Keyblade War. You know…?” She paused, he nodded, “We were to keep our roles secret from each other. At first, we believed that our roles would help prevent the war, but our Master—the Master of Masters—lied to us. Our roles helped _cause_ it. The Master also had an apprentice by the name of Luxu. Luxu’s role was to protect a box from the keyblade war, and I was the only one he told before he disappeared. He never told me what was in that box, but after…other things…I’m sure it’s not anything good…”

    She trailed off for a moment, then seemed to come to some kind of decision. Her hands stopped fiddling.

    “I know why you’re here, Riku. You and Sora. Through our hearts’ connections I know that both my Master and Luxu are here in Eos. Luxu is going to use Sora’s power to open the box and release whatever is within it. My role…all I can tell you is that it involves keeping Sora safe. And that means keeping him from Luxu. You said you were searching for Sora—do you know where he might be?”

    “All we know is Riku followed his heart to Sora, which lead him here.” Joshua answered for him.

    Emily leveled Riku with a grave look.

    “Riku you must know, this place…it’s where keyblade wielders go in between life and death. A void, of sorts. It’s a real world but separate from the rest, meant to contain those who cannot truly master the power of light. That’s why time moves so quickly here compared to the Realm of Light—so our powers fade faster.”

    Wait, hold on. _Time_ was different here? Did that mean…those texts…

    “How quickly?” He asked.

    “Days to an hour.” Emily replied solemnly, “How long has Sora been lost?”

    “Five days, back home.”

    “That could be years.” Neku said gravely.

    “Yes. It most likely has been.” Emily agreed.

    Riku’s head spun from the influx of information.

    Had Sora sent those texts over months, if not years? And everything that had happened in the past, things Xehanort and Ansem had talked about—the Keyblade war—were still haunting them, things that involved Sora losing his powers if he was trapped here for too long. But why did these Master and Luxu people need Sora? What could he do that they couldn’t—surely any keyblade wielder that called themselves master could open a box? What Emily had told him seemed to boil down to more ill-intended people using Sora for their twisted purposes yet again. Great.

    Riku held up a hand, “I need to make sense of this. You’re telling me that two ancient keyblade wielders, Master of Masters and Luxu, tricked you and your friends into creating the original Keyblade War and that somewhere along the line the three of you died and you’re all here trying to…?”

    “I wish I knew for certain, but I’m sure my Master is trying to go back to the Realm of Light. During his studies he was learning as much as he could about the heart’s connection to light…I’m sure it’s got something to do with that. Luxu is probably trying to go back, too, but not to help the Master. I think his intention was to usurp our Master from the beginning. Myself…I want to stay here. It’s best if I don’t go back to the Light. That’s why I’ve been hiding from them—I don’t want them to use me again.”

    Riku wasn’t going to argue. He’d felt that way about himself before, and could especially relate to the desire not to be used.

    The new information solidified Riku’s urgency. He needed to find Sora _now_ before Sora ended up being a pawn. No more naps or waiting on unseen texts.

    “What can we do to stop them from getting back?” Joshua asked.

    “Riku and Sora need to leave immediately. If my Master already has Sora within reach the risks are even greater because Luxu will have access to him.”

    “You said you could feel your Master and Luxu’s hearts. Can you feel Sora’s?” Neku chimed in.

    Emily shook her head. “I’ve never met him, so he and I aren’t connected. But Riku should be able to.”

    All eyes turned to him, but Riku already knew that wouldn’t work.

    “I haven’t been able to feel Sora’s heart since he,” Riku caught himself nearly admitting his failure, “arrived here.”

    “Alright, we’ll just have to find him the old fashioned way. Which kingdom are the Master and Luxu working for?” Joshua asked Emily.

    “Lucis, from the reports you’ve shared with me.”

    Riku strategized quickly. If Sora had been here for at least a year then it was almost a sure thing the other keyblade wielders had found him. It was more than likely they’d convinced Sora they were good people since Sora was always eager to see the best in others and they needed him to cooperate. That added up because the others knew of a keyblade wielder fighting for Lucis. Riku’s search was now narrowed considerably.

    “Do you have any maps here? We need to guess where Sora would be kept if they already have him.” He asked.

    “Yes, there’s one in another room.” Emily hurried out and the others followed.

    A wall-scroll map of Shibuya was in a meeting room down the hall. They unpinned it and spread it out over the conference table. Joshua grabbed a container of pins from a desk and began to mark locations with them. He placed two star shaped pins where they were currently and at the day-care, and at least seven green pins further south. One was so far south it hung at the edge of the map.

    “These green ones are the known buildings Lucis uses in Shibuya. We’re not sure what all of them are for, but some we do know. This one,” Joshua indicated an oval shaped building, “is where they keep their mechatanks. These here are used as headquarters,” he hovered a finger over a cluster of four pins before moving to the one at the southern edge, “and this we know they use, but we don’t know what for. It used to be Shibuya’s prison, though, so I doubt Lucis is doing anything good there.”

    “Do you think they’d take Sora there?” Riku asked, feeling a bit queasy.

    He couldn’t begin to fathom the image of Sora in such a dismal place, it was so incongruous of the sunshine Sora always radiated.

    “Not if they’ve convinced him to help out.” Neku shook his head and pointed at the headquarters, “It’s more likely he’s staying with them here.”

    Riku leaned away from the map to inspect the route from this building to the headquarters.

    “Then that’s where I need to go. What’s their surveillance like?”

    “They’ll know when you put a toe over our border.” With that Neku shot down any ideas of sneaking in.

    They began to debate idea after idea. Eventually they came to a conclusion that would put Riku in a good position to find Sora without endangering him. Riku would pretend to be a Shibuya citizen, interested in helping Lucis fight the war to end it. If he sold his case convincingly any foot soldier would take him to their higher-ups to place him in the Lucis ranks. The search would go on from there.

    Riku didn’t like the idea of having to wait, but rushing into things was more of Sora’s specialty so he agreed. With that, Joshua and Neku took off for the night to get Riku some Shibuya-esque clothes, leaving Riku and Emily to practice what Riku would say. 

    After an hour or so Riku had perfected his story, and the two of them fell into an awkward silence. The conference room chairs were cozy and while Emily seemed to shuffle around for something to say, Riku considered how quickly he could fall asleep here. Maybe _one_ more nap was in order.

    But then Emily inquired,

    “Why are you here for Sora?”

    “Hmm? What do you mean?” Riku was sure she was joking—hadn’t the past hours of conversation revolved around getting Sora out of here?

    Emily sat forward in her chair, chewing on her bottom lip.

    “I mean, who are you to him that you can follow his heart? Following hearts doesn’t work for just anyone. The connection has to be powerful.”

    Ah. That’s what she was getting at. Riku adjusted himself in the chair so that he was leaning forward with both elbows on the desk. Riku had yet to directly tell anyone aside from the letter he’d written just yesterday. He’d implied it to Mickey and Kairi knew, but that was all. How would Emily take the truth? It would be beneficial for her to know, if she really was an ancient student of the heart. One way to find out.

    His insides felt squirrely as he said, “Sora is precious to me.”

    Emily’s eyes widened, and she gasped. “No, that can’t be.”

    Riku didn’t like that. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but Emily’s expression changed so rapidly to one of fear that his words died on his tongue.

    “Riku, this makes everything much more urgent. If you love him, and worse if he feels the same, Sora could easily give the Master the power to reconnect this world with the others. Not only would my Master and Luxu be able to return—they’d have their powers fully restored.”

    Riku couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved that it wasn’t his feelings she was rejecting, merely the consequences of them. Otherwise, he began to feel as frightened as she looked.

    “How? What does love have to do with reconnection?”

    “Love is the purest form of light—light’s greatest power. It’s how you were able to find Sora here without feeling his heart, and it’s how Sora would be able to draw enough light to reconnect Eos.”

    “What would your Master do with all his power back?” Riku asked, needing to understand why this was a bad thing.

    “When I knew him my Master wanted to know all he could about how heart magic worked. I’m sure he would continue his experiments, putting the Realm of Light in grave danger as he did before. Worse, if Luxu survived. Luxu isn’t just interested in heart magic—he’s power hungry.”

    From there Riku supposed Emily could speculate the Master’s motives about as well as himself. Sometimes people did bad things for the fun of it, or to satisfy their own curiosity even though those motives never made sense to Riku. At least Luxu’s made sense—Riku himself had once been power hungry.

    This revelation made Riku antsy.

    “I shouldn’t be waiting around.” He stood and began to trace the route on the map to Lucis headquarters again.

    “I agree. I can tell Neku and Joshua that the situation changed.”

    Riku was grateful for her support. He pulled his phone from his pocket—still no reply—and snapped a picture of the route.

    “Thank you, Emily. I wish there was something I could do in return.” He gave her a half-tilted smile.

    “I think saving Sora will be enough for both of us, don’t you?” She smiled in return.

    Riku nodded once, then hurried out of the building to begin the trek to the edge of North Shibuya. He sent a quick text to Sora after stepping through those weird sliding doors.

    _I’m coming._


	10. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drum roll*  
> Here it is, the chapter we've all been waiting for. I can't tell you all how many times I got chills writing this (and I rewrote this thing twice so...lots of chills). I'm so excited to share this chapter with you because key scenes within are the brain children of this entire fic, which has gone so much further than I ever could've imagined.  
> Thank you all so, so much for sticking with me as I work out the kinks and details. I hope the wait was worth it and that you'll continue to stick around for the rest of the story.  
> Two things: First, this chapter is going to have a few POV changes so keep on your toes. Second, this chapter is going to be slightly violent (not as much as I’d planned ^^’). Feel free to skip what you need to. 
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf

    It had been a long, long couple of days.

    Sora flopped face-first on his cot, not even bothering to kick off his shoes. Prompto had lead the squad further into enemy territory than they’d gone before, so much so that the past six hours had been spent racing back to their side of the front line. Their multi-day mission had gotten them valuable intel.    They’d discovered maps with information on where within the Empire the memory wipe magic was being generated. This brought them months closer to Kairi than they had been that morning.

    Sora’s phone buzzed from somewhere on his desk. He’d left it there on accident when he’d left. He hoped the message wasn’t from Yozora—it would be painful to come up with the energy to tell him he _had_ no energy. Especially for that twisted favourite hobby of his.

    With a huff, Sora snatched up his phone. But he found it blank. Weird, he could’ve sworn…ugh, whatever. Sora tossed the phone on the floor and properly heaved himself into bed. He was out within minutes.

~

    It was raining again, finally. He’d missed the sound of it rushing through the city—like blood spiked with adrenaline. Speaking of, he was riding a proverbial high. His target had just stepped outside in plain view. He the target walked a few blocks—he couldn’t disturb the fox in her den, not yet.

    He chuckled to himself, letting his excitement twist his lips into a full-toothed predatory grin. Setting the spotting scope aside for later he pushed the hood back from his head and shook out his hair. This kid was going to get the shock of his life—who knew plotting to rule to universe was going to be so much fun?

    A dark portal appeared in front of him and he stepped through, first on thin air and then on solid asphalt. The confused, angry recognition in those teal eyes was delicious.

    “Took you long enough, I was starting to get worried you wouldn’t show.” He sassed the man in front of him.

    “Xigbar? What are you doing here?” The silverette snapped, drawing his massive new keyblade.

    “Jeeze, compensating for something?” He teased to deflect Riku’s question.

    It didn’t work. Shame this one was a lot smarter than his partner. Sora was more fun to mess with ‘cause he always took the bait.

    “You’re a keyblade wielder.”

    “Man, you say that so accusingly. Ava tell you the good stories or the bad ones?”

    “Ava? You mean…?” Riku trailed off, probably to defend the identity of the woman within the building he’d just left.

    “It’s alright, you can tell me. I know she’s there. Thinks she can hide, but she’s wrong. The Master and I’ve been keeping tabs on her.” He gloated.

    Ava was still a thorn in his side after all this time—even if she was still useful. It felt good to knock her down a peg even if she wasn’t here herself.

    Riku shifted his stance defensively. “You’re Luxu?”

    Luxu summoned his keyblade, his wicked grin matching the elation he felt toward the coming violence. Not to mention it felt liberating to hear his real name spoken with wariness after all these years. It was the fearful respect he deserved.

    “The one and only. But I’m getting tired of being interrogated. It’s your turn.”

    With that he shot forward, swinging his blade up to disarm Riku. It didn’t work—the massive key Riku held was hefty enough to stay in place when struck from above. But its cumbersomeness would play to Luxu’s advantage—carrying such a weight would tire Riku out. All Luxu had to do was wait, and waiting was easy.

    Luxu swiped at Riku’s feet repeatedly, forcing him back along the street. Riku tried his best to parry and while his technique was solid, his blade wasn’t quick enough as many times as he needed it to be. He began to make up for it with magic, but no ordinary magic. Riku drew upon Darkness to conjure spells, purple light entwining itself with every blast of fire or splash of water. Luxu was impressed—control of Darkness took unique strength.

    Too bad Luxu had had over a century to perfect that control, or Riku might stand a chance.

    Purple blades appeared like a flock of birds around Luxu, one by one shooting toward Riku. Their accuracy was unwavering no matter how Riku tried to dodge. The sight of fresh blood on that too-pale skin served to feed Luxu’s dominance over his target—this kid had no idea what he’d gotten himself into. What was it he’d said to Riku and Sora when they’d defeated him in the Keyblade Graveyard? Oh yeah, _it’d be different if I had a keyblade._ Luxu chuckled.

    Riku’s movements became desperate as the barrage continued. He lost his concentration because of a slash striking too close to his jugular and his keyblade skittered across the road. Riku yelled in frustration, a wordless, fearful sound that thrilled Luxu. With one last slash forward Luxu sent Riku flying, knocking him on his back.  

    Luxu stepped over him and pressed the end of his keyblade to Riku’s throat, pinning him by the points of the keyblade and panting like he’d run a marathon or two. Riku struggled, trying to shove Luxu off with his legs. He stopped when Luxu pressed the points down into his skin, rivets of blood draining onto the street.

    “What, thought you’d win? As if. I’ve been around too long to lose to punks like you and your boyfriend. Speaking of, how ‘bout you and I pay him a little visit?”

    The fear in Riku’s eyes made him laugh.

~

    The hard concrete under his body was cold, chilling him to the bone. He’d curled up as soon as Xigbar had thrown him to the floor, anticipating the kicks that followed. Satisfied once there had been a solid _crack_ , Xigbar had left him there. Riku tried not to shiver. This place probably didn’t get enough prisoners to justify a heating bill.

    Two sets of footsteps echoed down the hall. Riku closed his eyes and tried to relax. If he appeared unconscious, maybe he’d be spared a second broken rib. The footsteps stopped outside his cell.

    “Hey, pretty boy. Wanna sit up and show your captors some respect?” Xigbar’s voice taunted.

    Riku kept his breaths even.

    “I think he’s out.” Xigbar said, sounding proud of himself.

    It wasn’t hard to imagine that smarmy look on his face.

    “So, he’s the one?” A new voice spoke, soft and contemplative.

    “Yeah, wherever one goes the other isn’t too far behind. I’m surprised they’re not attached at the hip.”

    “I can’t tell if you’re kidding. You know that we need Sora’s lover. Shouldn’t that be the girl—what’s her name?”

    They had to be talking about Kairi. Who else? Everyone assumed she and Sora were in love. Riku himself had been sure of it until just the other day when Kairi herself had insisted otherwise. But why were they calling _Riku_ Sora’s _lover_? They were best friends, and maybe what Kairi had said was true but Riku didn’t know that, not yet, not until he could ask…and a pair of virtual strangers shouldn’t know that, either. It wasn’t like Riku went around announcing his love for Sora to his enemies—he’d never even told anyone else.

    “Can’t remember either, it’s not like I ever met her. But I promise, Master. Riku’s your guy.”

    So, the new voice belonged to Ava and Luxu’s Master. Riku hadn’t expected someone described so negatively to have such a gentle cadence—that demeanor was sure to have won Sora over easily.

    “We’ll see when he’s in the vice.”

    That didn’t sound good.

    “You still sure you want me there? Sora’s guaranteed to get suspicious, he knows I know who Riku is.”

    “It doesn’t matter. Riku will tell him the truth once they’re one their own, anyway. And I know you’re as eager as I am to see what happens.”

    “Yeah. But should they actually be left alone? They’ll probably try to escape.”

    There was a soft laugh. “We may not have to worry about that. When Riku is in the vice, Sora will act irrationally once he believes his lover is in danger—the urge to protect what is most precious to him should draw on enough power to reconnect Eos right then and there.”

   “Sounds worth a try.”

    Riku thought back to his conversation with Ava. She’d said love would lead to reconnection. Would fear for a loved one’s safety really work? But he was jumping to conclusions, just like the Xigbar and the Master. Just like Kairi. Did Sora really love him? Riku had given up the idea years ago, yet everything seemed to circle back to him and Sora. Riku got the three of them involved in this mess because he was jealous of Kairi, Riku had hunted Xion and Roxas to rescue Sora, together they had struck down Xemnas, and together they’d rescued Master Aqua. Now they were here in this world, each chasing someone they loved.

    Riku tuned out the rest of the two men’s conversation, losing himself in thoughts of what he would say to Sora to try and find out if what the others assumed was true. He had an excuse for these musings—it was beginning to seem more and more as though their lives depended on Sora’s emotions.

~

    After the incident with Yozora’s clone, Yozora had kept his promise. He continued to be touched that Sora appeared to care about him, going so far as to invite him back to the kingdom of Lucis for breaks at least once a month.

    Sora had to admit he liked those days for more than the opportunity to spend some nights in a real bed. Yozora was more open, more _human_ when they were wandering around Lucis compared to the malicious war-worn torturer Sora generally witnessed. Sora even found himself feeling as though he were with a true friend—they shared stories about their pasts, and even had a few inside jokes.

    One particular story had stuck with Sora. Yozora had had a baby sister, Iris. They were thick as thieves, causing all sorts of trouble yet always having each other’s backs. Yozora described Iris as spunky, headstrong, and intuitive. She’d always known how to make him feel better, or that the old man who lived down the street needed to kids to water his plants, or that their mom was too tired to play.

    Iris’ death had traumatized Yozora, forever. He told Sora how he would still have nightmares of that day, though far less frequently as the years passed. She’d been mouthy at a guard, as any eight year old would be when they wanted to know where their parents were. The guard had torn her from Yozora’s arms and taken her away. When she’d come back, her skin was bloody and purple, hair gone, eyes glowing red. They’d tried to convert her to magitek, as they later did with Yozora himself.

    She’d died that night.

    That story helped soften the edge Sora felt toward Yozora. He felt now that he understood him more. Yozora was trying to get rid of ghosts, monsters that haunted him and reminded him of the precious person he’d lost. Sora didn’t have to approve of his methods to relate to that desire.

    But the sickened horror would all come rushing back when Yozora would take him to the prison. He had long given up on the idea of telling Yozora how much he hated being “invited” to torture sessions—if there was any hope in getting out of Eos, Sora had to cooperate with the people who trusted Noctis, even if they made him watch upsetting things—though so much time had passed, he’d never forgotten his true goal.

~

    The next morning Sora once again found Yozora waiting for him slouched against the wall next to his door.

    “Morning, Sora.” He greeted, remaining seated to wait for Sora to gather his things.

    “Morning.” Sora sighed.

    He was still exhausted from the recon mission but he didn’t have any excuse not to go with Yozora today. Prompto had given the team two days mandatory rest but “office work” didn’t violate that. Sora had found that out the hard way.

    Sora could handle it, though.

    In his room Sora opted for a red pull-over hoodie and black shorts he’d swiped from an abandoned clothes store a few months ago. At least his body could be comfortable today if they went to the prison. With both phones, snacks, and water stashed in a knapsack, Sora joined Yozora and they quickly made their way to the car.

    Once they hit the streets Yozora began to describe what kind of day Sora was in for as Sora gazed out the rain-smattered window.

    “Dino called me early this morning, said they’ve got an interesting one. I made sure it wasn’t one of mine, so I thought I’d let you tag along.”

    “No pit stops for ice cream?” He asked, pretending to joke with a small pout.

    Yozora laughed, “Not today. How about tomorrow, though? Prompt gave you guys a few days off, right?”

    Sora nodded, “Right. Tomorrow, then.”

    They chatted about the recon mission for the rest of the drive, only falling silent once they entered the prison grounds. Sora shoved his hands in the pouch of his hoodie and followed a few steps behind Yozora to the control room. The torture-team fell into routine with Sora sitting in his chair while the others flitted over the switchboard and paperwork to make sure everything was ready to go.

    Dino’s phone interrupted them not ten minutes after Yozora and Sora had arrived.

    “Yello? Yeah, he’s here. Are you sure? That’s not nece—. Alright. Okay, yeah, I’ll tell ‘em. Yes sir. Bye.”

    Everyone watched him put his phone away.

    “Gladiolus just called. Said we need to wait for the Master.” Dino reported, taking his own seat and kicking his feet up on an empty space on the desk.

    Aranea grumbled, “He’d better not take too long.”

    “Did he say anything else?” Yozora asked.

    “Just wanted to know if Sora was here. Didn’t say how long they’d be or anything.” Dino shrugged.

    Sora glanced at Yozora, but he seemed as confused as the others.

    “Guess we’ll wait.”

    Sora reached for his gummyphone to play some Classic Kingdom games but the door to the control room opened before he could open his knapsack. Luxu waltzed into the room, stopping in the center with his back to Sora and Yozora.

    “Morning crew. Ready for a show?” He greeted with a sickening grin.

    Sora groaned inwardly. It had been nearly eight months since he’d last seen Luxu. He’d wanted to make it to at least a year before having to deal with him again. Luxu hadn’t lost a single ounce of his smarmy Nobody personality that Sora had known despite Lauriam and the others’ acting like mostly new people.

    “A guest of honor, huh? What is it about this captive that makes him so special?” Aranea asked, placing a hand on her hip and giving Luxu a judgmental stare down.

    Sora smiled to himself. Despite her association with this place Sora liked Aranea. She didn’t put up with anyone’s bullshit and he admired that.

    “You’ll just have to see, won’t you poppet.” Luxu said.

    Though Luxu didn’t look his way Sora got the distinct sense he was the one being addressed, not Aranea.

    “Ugh, whatever old man. Do you know how long the Master will be?” She asked.

    “I’m here.”

    Everyone turned to see Noctis enter the room, flanked by Gladiolus. The control room had comfortably fit three people but now with six Sora felt smothered. He pushed his chair back as close to the wall as possible to create some more space. The movement drew Noctis’ attention.

    “Sora, good to see you. Have fun with Prompto this week?” Nocits’ smile was eerily reminiscent of the one he’d shown the first time Sora had ever laid eyes on him, exuding arrogance, prowess, and authority.

    “Uh, yeah. I’m sure he told you, but we got some valuable info.” Sora gave a weak smile.

    Noctis and Luxu’s presence on top of Yozora’s description that today’s prisoner would be an “interesting one” was beginning to make him nervous. What was going on?

    “He did, and I’m glad to hear it. Anyway, let’s get this party started.” He turned to Yozora and waved his hand.

    Yozora shot Dino a hard look before summoning the guards. Dino hopped out of his chair and offered it to Noctis who took it without a word. Luxu stood behind Noctis’ chair while Gladio closed the door and leaned against it.

    Three guards entered with a foot-bound man who they unceremoniously locked into the vice. One of them stood in front of the prisoner, blocking him from view as he was secured. Once finished the guards dismissed themselves, leaving the prisoner alone in the room. Silver hair, long and shaggy, framed a pointed jaw. His outfit was black and blue with yellow patches on the shoulders. The man’s eyes were closed.

    It felt like all the blood drained from Sora’s body.

    Yozora had promised he’d checked. He’d promised!

    “I thought you said it wasn’t a clone.” Yozora caught on as fast as Sora and the glare he gave Dino teetered on dangerous.

    “I was told it wasn’t!” Dino defended, throwing his hands up.

    Sora felt like his lungs had collapsed. He coughed hard to open them and ended up drawing far too much attention to himself. He pulled his water from his bag, the nausea already starting up. He couldn’t embarrass himself in front of Noctis and Luxu over this. Especially Luxu—that bastard had to have known. Why else would he be here but to see Sora suffer as the mirror image of one of his friends was torn apart? At least Luxu didn’t know the full extent of how much it would hurt.

    He chanted _it’s a clone_ in his mind.

    “What’s the hold up?” Noctis asked, leaning on an elbow toward Yozora.

    “Sorry, it’s just, Sora doesn’t like watching the ones that look like me.”

    The grin that spread on Luxu’s face made Sora’s blood boil.

    “He’ll just have to deal, won’t he?”

    Noctis twisted in his chair to glare at Luxu. “Be quiet.”

    Luxu shut his mouth and Noctis turned to Sora, tone far kinder, “Will you be alright or do you want to leave?”

    Sora put on a brave face. “I’ll stay.”

    With a smile Noctis waved at Yozora to proceed. Sora trained his eyes on his shoes.

    The interrogation questions began fairly standard: _what do you know of Niflheim? Who created you? Which lab are you from?_ The prisoner neither answered any of the questions nor acknowledge that he’d heard them—his eyes remained closed. Sora sighed internally. This just _had_ to be one of the brave ones, too. Their torture sessions were always the most bloody.

    Yozora tried a different angle by threatening to hurt him. The prisoner didn’t respond. Yozora lifted his finger from the mic button, pressed the button that engaged the intercom to the guards, took a breath, and asked tight-lipped,

    “This is Yozora. Is the prisoner awake? He hasn’t even moved.”

    There was a crackle on the other end, then a man responded, “Yes sir, he tried to fight us all the way up the stairs.”

    “Thank you.” Yozora snapped, then released the button in favor of rubbing at his forehead.

    “I’m sorry, Master, that you have to witness such a messy interrogation. Usually they go much smoother than this.” He sighed.

    Noctis chuckled lightheartedly. Sora wondered how he could take _torture_ so lightly. War desensitized people, he supposed. There were things Sora himself wouldn’t be concerned about now that he would have just a few years ago.

    “No worries. Since he’s being stubborn we could try a new angle. Let Sora use the device.”

    Sora felt his stomach hollow. “W-what?”

    Noctis turned to him, expression curious. “It’s not often I’m here, and I think it would be interesting to see how you approach an interrogation, particularly one that upsets you.”

    Everything about this situation felt like a trap. Something horrific was happening but Sora was in too much distress to figure it out. The best he could do would be to play along and try to get his body under control so he could figure out why one of Yozora’s clones was getting so much attention. Unless—no. Absolutely not. He was _not_ going to go there.

    Sora got to his feet and joined Yozora at the switchboard. Yozora showed him the mic button, then the controls of each different arm. Sora had gone through this tutorial before but had never used the vice and, given the situation, a refresher was severely needed if he was going to appear remotely competent. Thankfully the switchboard had shorthand labels. His eyes caught one of the buttons Yozora hadn’t pointed out, its label reading _V-Door._

    Yozora stepped aside when Sora affirmed he was ready—lying through his teeth, of course. Sora kept his eyes trained on the switchboard as he pressed down the mic button and spoke into it, imitating what he’d heard Yozora say on numerous occasions.

    “You’ve given us no choice but to force answers.”

    Next he had to choose a weapon. There was no way he would start out with blades, but maybe something with adjustable settings would—.

    “Sora?” The prisoner’s voice came clear as day over the speaker of the switchboard, and Sora’s head shot up.

    This clone had two teal eyes.

    This was not a clone.

    This was Riku.

    Riku was looking right at him, though he couldn’t actually see through the two-way window. Sora’s head began feeling floaty. Why was Riku here? _How_ was Riku here? He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be in that _vice_. He should be safe at home with everyone else. But there was no doubt. As sure as Sora could feel the pull of gravity he _knew_ Riku was on the other side of the glass.

    Sora’s pulse had never felt so fast.

    “Sora, what’s wrong?” Yozora’s voice cut through like the crash of a wave against a rock.

    All the moisture in Sora’s throat had dried, and his voice scratched as he turned to glare at Luxu.

    “That’s Riku.”

    The smile Luxu gave him made Sora nauseous. His hands clutched at the sleeves of his hoodie. Luxu knew it was Riku they’d captured—there was no way he didn’t.

    “Who’s Riku?” Noctis asked, giving Sora a confused glance.

    “A friend from home.” Sora emphasized home, hoping Noctis would understand.

    Noctis smiled. Sora wasn’t sure he liked that response. He was about to say more when Yozora grabbed his arm and asked, shocked,

    “A friend? When did you make friends with a clone of mine?”

    Sora looked up at that all-wrong face with one so-right teal eye and one all-wrong red eye, and shook his head.

    “No. Riku’s…I’ve known Riku forever. Can you let him go? Please?”

    He wasn’t sure who he directed his question to, but it didn’t matter anyway. No one moved to help.

    “We can’t let a prisoner go. Besides we don’t have proof he’s who you say he is.” Aranea said, though she sounded sympathetic.

    “Yes we do!” Sora snapped, then turned to the mic.

    He pressed down, “Riku, I’m here! Just hold on.”

    Riku had been searching the room for something, and when Sora spoke he zeroed in on the control room again.

    “Where are you?” He asked, voice coming in through the speaker.

    Yozora pushed Sora off the mic before he could say. Sora’s finger slipped over the _V-Door_ button. He hoped it did what he’d guessed. Riku’s head turned toward the direction of the door.

    “What kind of trick _is_ this?” He hissed, giving Sora another push back from the switchboard.

    “It’s not a trick! Riku’s my best friend.” He growled, frustrated.

    Why weren’t any of them believing him? And why hadn’t Luxu said anything?

    Sora rounded on him, “Help me!”

    Luxu laughed, “I’m just here for the entertainment.”

    Sora was going to kill him—again—when this was all over. He looked back at Noctis, but he was watching Riku—Riku was searching the vice room again. Yozora had gone back to the controls and Sora knew Gladio, Dino, and Aranea wouldn’t go against orders just for him. He was on his own.

    “I’m going to ask you one last time, which faction did you come from?” Yozora asked through the mic.

    This time Riku answered with his own questions, “Where’s Sora? What’d you do with him?”

    Yozora glared at Sora, then began selecting buttons for the vice. Sora’s heart leapt in his throat—funny, he’d thought it was already there. Time had run out.

    Suddenly, the Kingdom Key was in his hands. He lifted it in the air and shouted for a wind spell. It knocked everyone to the ground and Sora bolted. The door was unlocked, thankfully, and he swept out of the room.

    The door to the left of the control room’s was that of the torture chamber and it hissed as Sora pushed the full brunt of his weight against it. The door swung open slowly, and once there was just enough space for him to slip inside, Sora moved in and whirled around to shove it closed. It would slow down anyone who followed him just enough to give him time to free Riku. They could figure out how to escape after that.

~

    As soon as Sora left the room, Noctis jumped to his feet and stood closer to the window. He glanced over at Gladio, who got up and left the room to take up his post at the other door as they’d discussed. Luxu came to stand beside him, an eager smirk on his face. Behind them the others got up, commenting their shock on Sora’s sudden show of aggression. It made Noctis laugh to himself—if only they knew.

    This moment was long anticipated. Sometimes he hadn’t even thought it would happen, so much time had gone between its foretelling and now. The moment when Noctis would finally, truly witness Light’s most powerful weapon—love. Noctis tried his best to keep a straight face—there was no escape for naïve Sora now. The young man had played right into his hands and, even better, so had his lover.

    But when Sora entered the room nothing happened. No burst of light, not even a little spark. Noctis was annoyed. Surely he had it right, these two were the ones in the prophecy he’d relied upon. They had to be. Noctis crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. He did _not_ want to be disappointed. But maybe today just wasn’t the day. There was one last thing he could try for now.

    “Start the machine.” He ordered, having noticed a particular lull in the vice’s descend toward the silverette.

    Yozora must have paused it for his friend’s safety. How cute.

    “Sora’s in there.” This time it was Aranea who protested.

    Noctis found himself a bit impressed. Aranea didn’t show concern for just anybody—Sora was a real charmer.

    “I said, _start the machine_.” Noctis took a step toward Yozora, who had yet to move.

    The idiot shook his head. “No.”

    Luxu laughed, leaving his post behind Noctis’ chair to shove Yozora aside and take his place over the switchboard.

    “Beat it, kid.”

    The machine began to move once again, spinning bloodthirsty blades toward its victim. Yozora flung the door open and raced into the hall. Noctis allowed himself to smile as he heard Gladio begin to rough him up. If not fruitful, at least the drama of today would be interesting.

~

    Without a second thought Sora leapt toward Riku and began searching for a release mechanism on the clamps over his wrists. It wasn’t easy to do considering how much he shook and how much his vision blurred. A high pitched _whirr_ jolted Sora to his core and his eyes reflexively glanced up to see the numerous arms of the machine begin to move and readjust. Two with disc blades began lowering toward them. What the hell was Yozora doing? Surely he wouldn’t let the machine keep going while Sora was in its way…right?

    “Forget it.” Riku hissed.

    _Riku._ Sora’s heart beat the rhythm of that name: _Ri-ku, Ri-ku, Ri-ku, Ri-ku, Ri-ku._

    “Shut up.” Sora snapped, rubbing the back of one hand roughly against his eyes to clear them while the other continued to scrape at the metal.

    He hadn’t made eye contact with Riku yet. If he were already crying this much he could imagine the detriment a full look at Riku would cause to a successful escape.

    “Watch out!” This time the urgency in Riku’s voice caught Sora’s attention.

    He looked up to see a metal disc coming their way. In the next second the arm was on the ground, twisted wires shooting out sparks.

    “What are you doing?!” Yozora’s voice shouted over the mic, background noise to the sound of the machine as it began to fire up the twin electric rods.

    Sora blasted them with blizaga, then took initiative and froze the rest of the arms, too. They would break free soon, but maybe he’d get lucky and the ice would short them out. It certainly stalled them long enough for Sora to give up on finding clamps to release Riku. Instead, Sora placed the tip of his keyblade on the hinge of the neck cuff. After a moment’s pause it snapped open. He repeated the move with each arm cuff, then Riku was free. Riku hurled his weight at Sora, knocking them to the ground. A blade cut through the space Sora’s head had been.

    Riku scrambled off Sora and half-dragged him against the wall, out of reach of the vice. They sat there panting and staring at the thing, Sora between Riku and the door. Riku’s hand remained wrapped tight around Sora’s just below his elbow, nails digging into flesh. Sora didn’t protest. The contact was grounding him.

    The mic crackled to life and instinctively Sora crouched on his feet, his body and keyblade shielding Riku from an invisible enemy.

    “Sora, there’s no need for rash action. The soldier that collected this man thought he was a clone.” Noctis’ voice spoke, sounding annoyed, “But based on your reaction, I think I’m starting to believe you. Can you hold tight while I try to figure out what to do?”

    Sora didn’t know what to think. Could he trust Noctis after this? Noctis should’ve trusted him as soon as Sora had said Riku was from _home_. Noctis hadn’t known, couldn’t have known their prisoner was from the Realm of Light because Sora hadn’t told him that the childhood best friend from his stories looked like Yozora.

    But Luxu knew who Riku was, had probably recognized him before Sora since Sora hadn’t wanted to look all that much. That bothered Sora the most. All Luxu would have had to do was confirm that Sora wasn’t lying—but he’d chosen not to, instead choosing to watch Sora suffer. So why hadn’t Luxu said anything?

    The feeling of dread was instantaneous. Luxu _had_ said something, before Noctis had showed up or Riku was even shoved into the vice. Sora just hadn’t had enough context then to understand. But now he knew—Luxu had known the prisoner was Riku before seeing him. Which meant one of two things—Luxu had been present for Riku’s capture, or he’d seen Riku in the dungeons below. Both of those ideas twisted Sora’s stomach into knots.

    Maybe he could trust Noctis, then, but not Luxu—no surprise there.

    Riku’s grip on Sora’s arm tightened. Sora looked down to find Riku shaking his head.

    “Don’t trust him, Sora.”

    Sora nodded once, then looked up at the window with his face set in determination. He wasn’t going to play anyone else’s games anymore. Noctis could take his time to figure out a way to make amends to keep Sora’s trust—Sora had a new priority.

    “Yeah, okay.”

    He sat back down against the wall and turned his head to Riku. Immediately he felt like his heart had taken a dive off a cliff. Everything began to blur, then sharpen as Riku wiped Sora’s tears from under his eyes, only to blur again. Damnit, he shouldn’t have looked at his face.

    “Are you real?” Sora asked, voice cracking in a way it had no business doing.

    Riku scoffed. “I better be.”

    “Then how come I’m the only one crying?” Sora pouted.

    Riku sniffed, and Sora couldn’t help but huff a little laugh as Riku’s eyes became watery. “Cause you’re a sap, duh.”

    Sora looked closer at Riku. There were thin slices all over his skin, some caked in blood while others were just thin lines. His throat was bruised in weird places and there were other bruises on his arms. Sora reached out and angled Riku’s face toward his, intending to inspect for any injuries there. Riku balked, leaning sharply away. That worked, Sora could see now that there were more thin lines of blood but no bruising.

    “What is it?” Riku asked.

    “Seeing where they hurt you.” Sora continued his inspection of Riku’s clothes, looking for rips and tears.

    There were many.

    “Oh. Yeah. I’ll be fine, but they—he, Xigbar—has my keyblade.” Riku whispered.

    That confirmed it, then. Luxu had seen Riku before and had done nothing to stop him from ending up in that vice. Sora didn’t doubt he was similarly responsible for Riku’s injuries.

    The door hissed opened and Noctis stepped in, leaving it open behind him. He observed the two before him for a long moment, face neutral. They watched him like treed raccoons, waiting for the dogs to seal their fate. Then Noctis crossed his arms and scuffed his feet, the most humbled behavior Sora had seen from him.

    “I’m sorry this happened. I should have asked for pictures of your friends.” He said quietly, lips tugged into a frown.

    “I should have told you what they look like.” Sora returned less kindly.

    Riku shifted beside him. “Who are you?”

    Noctis gave him a once-over, which Sora didn’t like. He shifted slightly so his body was covering more of Riku from Noctis’ view. If either Riku or Noctis noticed, they didn’t show it.

    “My name is Noctis. I’ve decided to take you to the castle, both of you. We can get your friend set up with my healers, and continue to figure out why this went so wrong.”

    He turned back to Sora. Sora glared at him—he saw this for what it was. Noctis still needed him to reconnect Eos with the Realm of Light. Losing Sora’s trust was something he simply could not afford. Sora liked that he had power over a king now that Riku’s life was on the line.

    “Only if he and I stay together. No separation, ever.”

    Noctis smiled, soft and genuine. “It’s a deal.”

    Sora dismissed his keyblade in favor of helping Riku stand, adjusting to the new weight by wrapping an arm around his waist. They followed Noctis into the hall where Gladio took up the tail on the short trek to the car. Yozora, Aranea, Dino, and Luxu were nowhere to be seen. That was good. If Sora saw Luxu right now he’d try to punch his face in—or worse.

    Sora remembered the last time he’d carried Riku like this, years ago. Riku had been shorter and less brawny which had made it a lot less awkward for Sora to help him then than it was now. The circumstances had been different, too. Victory rather than submission.

    “Feels familiar, huh?” Sora teased as they walked.

    “Huh? Oh, you mean…yeah.” Riku mumbled, distracted.

    Sora followed his gaze to Noctis. Riku’s face was calculating, as though trying to figure out the secret to life. Sora decided not to talk anymore so Riku could focus. He’d always been the better thinker, anyway.

    Once they reached the _Regalia_ , the two of them slid into the backseat while Noctis and Gladio sat up front. The roof was up for once—probably because of the rain.

    Rather than lean against the door as Sora expected him to, Riku scooted back over to Sora and laid his head on his shoulder. His hand resumed its death-grip on Sora’s closest arm—painful, but grounding.

    “Sorry, just…” Riku fished for some kind of excuse, but Sora dropped his cheek on the top of Riku’s head.

    “I missed you.” He said, feeling the ramped up anxiety of earlier coming back as the car began to zip through the streets.

    Riku was here. Riku had been in that monstrous device, mimicking the horrors of Sora’s nightmares. Thankfully, this Riku—the real one—hadn’t been shredded up by the machine. He did look worse for wear though, the more Sora thought about it. What had the soldiers who’d caught him done to him? Where had all those lines come from?

    “You sure you’re okay?” He asked.

    Riku shrugged against Sora. “It’s more internal. I think one of my ribs is broken.”

    “Riku! Why the hell are you slouching? Shouldn’t you lay—?” Sora began fretting, but Riku’s other hand came up to cover his mouth.

    “This works, trust me.”

    Sora huffed, then licked Riku’s hand. Riku dragged it on Sora’s hoodie, shaking with laughter.

    “Rude.”

    “Deserved.” Sora deadpanned.

    “Is that how you thank your savior?” Riku teased.

    Savior? Was Riku here for him? Wait, that was dumb. Of course he was. And Kairi, too. Which reminded Sora, he needed to tell Riku _a lot_. He was probably confused as hell. Just good at hiding it, like he was at every other emotion.

    “Ah—about that. I’ve got a lot to fill you in on.”

    Riku stilled, his hand squeezing Sora’s arm. “Later. I’m too tired for stories.”

    Sora took pity on him and let them fall into silence for the rest of the ride. He leaned his head back against the headrest, closed his eyes, and focused on the sensations of Riku’s living body next to his. He could feel Riku’s breath, shaky and sharp with hidden pain. He could feel Riku’s skin, always a bit too cold, soft hairs tickling his own where their arms brushed—Riku had left his other arm with the hand Sora had licked lying over Sora’s stomach, fingers curling up the fabric of his hoodie. He could feel Riku’s hair tickling his neck, and his cheekbone pressing against Sora’s collarbone.

    Sora wondered if he would wake up in his cot at headquarters, alone and chilled since one blanket could never provide heat like Riku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to hear your thoughts, feel free to share anything--likes, dislikes, questions, etc.


	11. Perjury

    Once the Regalia was safely parked in the castle’s garage Noctis and Gladio escorted Riku and Sora to the healers. Gladio hovered by the door, phone in hand, while Noctis sat beside Sora in the seats next to the examination table Riku was up on. Two healers doted on him, erasing his wounds with spells and handing him potions far more powerful than any curaga Sora could have cast for him.

    Sora and Noctis sat in somewhat awkward silence. Noctis hadn’t spoken directly to Sora since the prison, and Sora had no intention of starting a conversation with him. Besides, Noctis would frequently check his phone—the life of a warlord was busy—while most of Sora’s attention was on Riku.

    Riku’s attention was on him just as much, which helped Sora believe he was real more than anything else. There had always been a certain way Riku had looked at him that Sora’s dreams couldn’t even imitate. It had been so long since Sora had seen that look that he found himself tearing up more than once. Riku had chuckled at him the first time he caught Sora wiping his eyes with his hoodie sleeve, but now Riku just had a soft smile on his face. Sora couldn’t help but smile back.

    When the nurses were satisfied their escort led them through the castle to Sora’s room. Riku was still using Sora as a crutch since the healing process would take a few hours to finalize. He let out a gasp of surprise at the sight of the room, commenting on the sheer size of it. Sora guided him to sit on the side of the bed before turning to Noctis and—oh. Gladio wasn’t there. Sora hadn’t noticed him leave. Huh.

    Noctis scuffed his foot on the floor once again.

    “Again, I’m sorry. I texted Prompto and told him you’d be gone for a few days so you guys have time to rest and catch up. I’m going to make some calls and figure out what happened. I’ll send someone with food, too. Anything else you need?”

    He looked up, face kind and honest. Sora was so conflicted over whether or not he could trust this man anymore, but there was no way he would say no to food.

    “Water, and pajamas since I didn’t bring any and Riku doesn’t have them. Anything else?” Sora turned to Riku, who glanced away from Noctis to shake his head at Sora.

    “Alright. I’ll send for you tomorrow, then.” Noctis gave them a final nod before making a swift exit.

    The door closed. Sora stared at it. He was finally alone after this nightmare of a day. Well, Riku was there, but that may as well have been the same thing after all these years.

    Riku cleared his throat and Sora looked down at him.

    “Do I get a real hug?” Riku asked, eyebrow raised pointedly.

    Sora ever-so-carefully tackled him against the covers, his body angled so that he was next to Riku rather than on top of him so his ribs would be spared.

    “Riku! I missed you.” He cooed, wrapping his arms over Riku’s shoulders and burying his nose against Riku’s neck to tickle him—well, maybe for other reasons, too, that had to do with the spike in his heart rate.

    “Sora!” Riku squawked, but he wrapped his arms over Sora’s back and hugged him tight.

    Sora wanted to stay there forever but in the name of not making things awkward he let go and rolled to his back, his legs dangling and brushing up against Riku’s. Riku turned his head to look at him with a thoughtful expression.

    “Are we actually alone? Not being recorded or anything?” He asked.

    “Yeah. Why?”

    A thousand reasons flitted through Sora’s mind. What could Riku want to talk about—or do—that he didn’t want others knowing about? Sora’s blood ran hot.

    “Okay.” Riku got up in one fluid motion, and hobbled over to the door.

    He pressed his ear against it for a long moment. Sora willed his blush away as he propped up on his elbows to watch, confused but knowing that Riku would explain himself. He always did. Riku rejoined Sora, sitting with one leg tucked under him and the other hanging off the side of the bed. Sora let his torso fall back against the bed.

    “I have a lot to tell you, too, though probably not as much. The most pressing thing is that we need to escape this world as soon as possible. You’re in danger the longer you’re here.”

    Riku paused as though expecting Sora to interrupt. Sora titled his head a bit to indicate he was listening.

    “I ran into Joshua, Neku, Beat, Rhyme, and Shiki. Do you remember them?”

    “From the dream world of Traverse Town? They were the ones who’d lost their world and their partners, right?”

    “Right. They’re here in this world, in the kingdom Shibuya. These other two countries—Lucis and Niflheim—destroyed their home. They helped me figure out you were with the Lucis army, and I was on my way to find you when,” Riku’s volume became a whisper, “Xigbar attacked me. He’s the one who brought me to that prison, not some random soldier.”

    “I knew it!” Sora gasped.

    Ugh, what was Luxu’s _problem_?

    “There’s more. He’s working for another keyblade wielder called the Master of Masters. They’re going to use you to reconnect this world so they can go back to the Realm of Light.”

    Wait, how did Riku know all of this? Sora voiced his question, so Riku told him that he’d met with a woman named Ava who had intimate knowledge of the situation. He told him what she’d said about the Foretellers and the ancient Keyblade War, too.

    “But, Riku, I already know what they’re using me for. They were honest about it. That’s why Noctis, he’s the Master, brought us back here—they still need my trust.”

    Riku didn’t seem surprised to hear that Noctis was the Master. Sora wondered if this Ava person knew, too.

    “Did they tell you why they’re using you, though?” Riku challenged.

    That was easy, “So we can all go home.”

    Riku shook his head. “No, Ava thinks it’s for far worse than that. Luxu wants power, and the Master studies heart and light magic. He’s after the most powerful kind. If they get back to the Realm of Light Ava fears they’ll wreak havoc.”

    Sora couldn’t deny that that sounded in character for Luxu. But what about Noctis? Sora wanted to trust him because Sora always wanted to trust everyone—he believed in second chances. But it was starting to seem like trusting Noctis might get him—and Riku and Kairi—killed. That was another thing Riku needed to know.

    “I believe you, Riku, but we can’t leave until we rescue Kairi. The Niflheim Empire has her.”

    Riku blinked at him, posture going rigid, “What?”

    “They’re the ones Lucis is warring against.” Didn’t Riku already know that?

    Riku slowly shook his head, eyes wide and worried, “No, Sora. Kairi…she’s back home. She came back without you.”

    Sora stilled, “She what?”

    The stared at each other for a moment, before Riku collapsed on the bed diagonal to Sora with a big sigh.

    “What mess have you gotten yourself into?”

    Sora didn’t answer, just turned his head to stare at the ceiling above. What was going on? Had he been lied to _this whole time_? Blindly lead to believe that he was making progress toward sending Kairi home when in reality she’d already been saved? Walked into yet another trap, just as he had in the dream worlds. Just like Xehanort had warned. How could he just let people walk over him like that? He really was useless without his friends to guide him and keep him from making mistake after mistake.

    So Kairi had gone home alone, without Sora. Guilt began to sink into his stomach. He couldn’t imagine how sad she must be to think that Sora had sacrificed himself for her. He’d tried to do the right thing by helping Kairi and in a way he knew he had—her life meant more to him than his own or he wouldn’t have thought about it in the first place. But he’d hurt her all the same.

    Sora felt like an absolute failure.

    “I’m sorry.” He whispered, voice choked as the reality of it all began to sink in.

    Maybe Sora himself was one big mistake.

    Riku’s face was very suddenly over his, perpendicular because of the way they were laying.

    “Don’t. None of this is your fault, so just don’t.” Riku said in that no-nonsense tone of his.

    Sora imagined he’d get along well with Aranea.

    Sora’s eyes blurred anyway, and he rolled to his side with his back to Riku to hide his shame. A hand was placed on his side between his ribs and hip bone, then Riku’s thigh pressed up against Sora’s back. The amount of touch Sora had experienced in the last two hours—and from Riku no less—was beginning to get overwhelming. Not that Sora wanted it to stop, but it was compounding with the pain already clutching at his heart. He’d missed Riku so, so much and now that he was here Sora was turning into an utter mess instead of being strong and figuring their way out of what he’d gotten them into. And Riku wasn’t even thinking less of him for it!

    The hand on his side disappeared for a moment, reappearing in Sora’s line of sight and pressing down on the covers with Riku’s weight. Riku leaned over him, face far more kind and gentle than Sora deserved—he didn’t deserve any of Riku’s affection. Sora wiped the tears from his eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie. Riku continued to look at him so softly, Sora wondered if his bones would liquefy.

    “Stop it.” He pouted, lifting one tear-soaked sleeve-hand at Riku to push at his face.

    “You stop it.” Riku’s laugh was muffled through the fabric.

    Suddenly Sora was under attack, Riku’s hands diving under his hoodie and ticking his ribs. Sora’s other hand joined the first, pushing at Riku’s face and neck as he tried to get him off. Sora let out far too many undignified squeaks. Oh well. His dignity had already been destroyed today.

    “Whyyyyyy?” Sora whined, chest heaving and tears from a completely new source when Riku finally stopped tickling him.

    Riku’s grin made him smile, too. He knew why. But he wanted to hear Riku say it—reassurance that he wasn’t a complete idiot _might_ make him feel better.

    A knock on the door startled both of them. It swung open to reveal Lauriam pushing a cart of food.

    “Noctis asked me to bring you dinner.” He commented as he stopped the cart halfway into the room.

    Riku’s gawking was hilarious. Sora couldn’t help but crack up while Lauriam smirked. Sora had heard all about Castle Oblivion over various late night campfires, and couldn’t imagine the magnitude of bafflement Riku was experiencing right now.

    “Miss me?” He asked Riku, which only made Sora’s giggles worsen.

    Riku spluttered and looked helplessly at Sora.

    “Oh yeah, did you bring pajamas?” Sora asked, straightening up and pretending to put on a serious face.

    He didn’t bother to clean off his tears—Lauriam had seen him in far worse vulnerable states before.

    Lauriam picked up two piles of cloth on the bottom level of the cart and tossed them over. He made to leave, then, but Sora’s brain finally caught up with him. Had Noctis told Lauriam what had happened? He hadn’t been surprised to find Riku with Sora, so Noctis must have told him. And what about Luxu, was Lauriam still working with him on an escape plan like he’d mentioned so long ago? Did he know what Luxu was really planning?

    “Wait, Lauriam. Are you…with them?” Sora asked, trying to be as vague as possible in case Lauriam was lying to him, too.

    He hoped not, he’d really grown to like the man over the past year and more.

    Lauriam turned to Sora, his face neutral save the mirthful look in his eyes.

    “You have more friends here than you know, Sora.”

    With that, he left. Sora would have to accept that answer, for now. He hopped up to examine the food while Riku massaged his forehead.

    “Not gonna lie, this place is beyond confusing.”

    “It’ll probably only get worse.” Sora cautioned, recalling the day he’d first met Prompto.

    “We need to leave before that happens. Which reminds me, how long have you been here? Ava said that time moves differently.”

    Sora picked out his favourites and was about to get a plate before deciding it would be better to turn the bedside table into a dining table than to eat on the bed. The white blankets were guaranteed to stain.

    “Yeah it does. Lauriam—Marluxia—told me the calculation once to figure out how long it’s been back home, but I forgot. I’ve been here about a year and a half. How long has it been at home?”

     Sora set the lamp on the floor, changing the lighting in the room so it was orange-tinted dark like the rest of the castle. Or the rest of this world, for that matter. Though Sora had become accustomed to the lack of light, Riku would probably dislike it. Maybe they should sit on the floor instead. He was about to suggest it when Riku said in a very small voice,

    “Five days.”

    “ _Five_ days?!” His head shot up from glaring at the lamp to gape at Riku.

    Was that all? Sora couldn’t quite believe it. No wonder Riku wasn’t as torn up as himself—five days was barely enough time to make a plan much less act on it. But Riku’s face soured.

    “I…I gave up on you, Sora. I just…I stopped feeling your heart and I thought...” Riku’s breath shook as he tried to explain something, but he couldn’t even say…

    He’d thought Sora was dead.

    Sora remembered the pain he’d felt at watching Riku die, and suddenly understood the gravity of what was happening. Riku had come here to this weird, awful place for _him_. Kairi was safe at home. There wasn’t any reason for Riku to be here other than Sora. And what had Sora done for Riku? Chased him into the dark, trapped him there, left him again and again for others, forced him to do life-risking things. Sora felt _awful_. How could Riku say he’d given up when he acted so selflessly? It wasn’t fair to Riku—he deserved better.

    “Damnit, we’ve gotta talk about something else.” Sora croaked as fresh tears pooled in his eyes.

    Today was becoming too long. He hid his face behind his sleeves.

    “We could talk about the fact that you just _swore_.”

    Riku’s false shock made Sora laugh.

    “I do that, now. But not like, big ones. Mostly.” Sora gave him a sheepish look while he wiped at his face.

    “Look at you, describing swear words as _big ones_.” Riku grinned.

    Sora felt a little better when he saw Riku rubbing at his eyes, too.

    “Whatever.” Sora went back to setting up their make-shift dining table.

    Riku seemed to realize what Sora was doing and busied himself with piling the two plates with food, making sure Sora’s had his favorites. They sat across the tiny table from one another, Sora with his legs tucked under him and Riku with his legs sprawled on either side. His legs were long enough that he could tap Sora with his feet, which he did multiple times just because. They made a game of it where Sora would try to grab his toes.

    While they ate Sora told him what he’d been up to over the past year. He stuck with stories about Prompto and the recon team until Riku asked if Sora had seen a copy of himself. Sora reluctantly told him about Yozora. Not all the personal details, but the basics—torture, vacations, feeling conflicted over his appearance. Riku’s face was stony the whole time, and once Sora had finished the description he quickly asked Riku how their friends were to change the subject. He didn’t like how upset Riku looked.

    Riku didn’t seem to want to dwell on Yozora either, and filled Sora in on the _five days_ he’d missed back home. Nothing big had happened, thankfully, other than everyone celebrating their freedom from Xehanort. Oh, and Isa and Lea had gotten together. Sora was glad to hear it—he’d once spent an entire meal listening to Lea talk about how much he missed Isa.

    Once they’d finished eating they replaced the table and lamp, then set their plates on the bottom level of the cart to deal with in the morning.

    Riku picked up the pajamas and inspected them. He handed a pair of dark green ones to Sora.

    “I think these are for you, they look smaller.”

    “Hey, I’m not small.” Sora protested even though they both knew it wasn’t true.

    Riku took the dark blue ones. Sora pulled off his hoodie and shorts, then picked up the pajama pants from the bed. He paused, then, catching on to the sudden awkwardness emanating from Riku.

    “What?” He asked, pulling the pants on.

    “Nothing.” Riku shook his head and looked away to focus on his own clothes.

    Sora couldn’t help the little laugh that escaped him. It was Riku’s turn to inquire, and Sora wound up feeling a bit hysterical as he pulled his shirt over his head. This day really had been too much.

    “It’s just, today’s been so weird. I wake up to one of my nightmares coming true and now I’m standing here with you. Twelve hours ago I was convinced I’d never see you again.”

    Sora sat on the bed with his legs pulled up to his chest. Riku had paused in the middle of changing shirts, watching Sora with a thoughtful look, and Sora’s desire to kiss him made itself known. He’d really missed feeling his stomach twist and melt with emotions other than horror and fear. Riku was so beautiful…

    Riku regretfully pulled his pajama shirt on then flicked off the lamp. He came over and gave Sora a tight hug.

    “Let’s go to sleep, then. We’ll wake up to a new day.”

    Riku wasn’t just pretty, he was smart, too.

    They shuffled under the covers, entwining their bodies with Sora’s arm resting across Riku’s chest and Riku’s arm folded up so he could comb Sora’s hair and provide Sora with a muscly pillow all at once. Sora’s heart picked up Riku’s rhythm again, and Sora let the feeling of safety wash over him. Sure, they weren’t home yet, but with Riku by his side Sora felt as though he could do anything.

    Sora fell asleep easier than he had in over a year.


	12. Whose side are you on!?!?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, you guys are only 1 behind me. Which means I've got some serious writing to do. The next update might be a while.
> 
> Hopefully the plot twists here don't get too wild...I'm not *trying* to turn in Nomura I swear...
> 
> As always thanks for reading and let me know if there's any spelling/grammar weirdness.
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf

    Riku was rudely jostled awake some hours later by Sora. At first he was confused. He’d heard a shout, but because he’d been asleep it was hard to tell if he’d dreamed it up. In his sleep he’d rolled on his side, away from Sora, so he twisted to go back only to find Sora sitting up. His head was in his hands, chest heaving and skin sweaty. Riku sat up and placed a hand on his shoulder. Sora flinched.

    “What’s wrong?” Riku asked quietly, worried.

    “R-riku?” His eyes were wide with fear as he looked over, sounding as though he didn’t quite believe Riku was there.

    “I’m here, Sora. Whatever it is you can tell me.” Riku gave Sora’s shoulder a squeeze to prove it.

    Sora turned and somewhat crawled into Riku’s lap, tucking his legs against Riku’s and hiding his head under his chin. His hands shook as he curled them in Riku’s shirt. Riku put his free arm over Sora’s back, the other busy keeping him propped up. He set his chin atop Sora’s head.

    “Nightmares. They killed you, made me watch.” Sora tensed, shuddered, “Your eyes…”

    Was he referring to Yozora?

    When Sora said no more Riku whispered, “I promise I’m here.”

    Sora nodded. “You’re real.”

    Riku pressed his lips to the top of Sora’s hair to prove he was real as much as to prove to himself that _Sora_ was real. Riku had really found him, even though the realization hadn’t truly set in yet.

    For a moment, Riku considered coaxing Sora back down so he could offer more physical comfort through snuggles—and _maybe_ because he wasn’t ready to let Sora out of his arms yet. But then it occurred to him that it may not be night anymore. He couldn’t tell since this world was always in the dark. Morning meant Noctis would come looking for them, and Riku didn’t want to be in the vicinity of that man in pajamas.

    “Do you know what time it is?” He asked Sora.

    “My phone…Oh!” Sora straightened and looked toward the door, “I left my backpack at the prison.” He tucked back against Riku and explained, “The phone Noctis gave me has the time on it.”

    “What about your gummyphone?” Riku asked, curious to know if Sora had even seen his texts.

    “It’s in my backpack, too.” That response only solved half of Riku’s questions.

    “Did you ever get my texts?”

    This time Sora straightened so he could look at Riku, “No! When did you text me?”

    “I’ve been here for about two days, so…two days ago?”

    Sora huffed, “I left my phones at headquarters during that recon mission, then didn’t get the chance to check. Sorry.”

    Riku ruffled the hair at the back of Sora’s head, “Don’t worry. I didn’t get any of yours ‘til I got here, anyway, so it’s only fair.”

    Sora’s expression became shy, “You saw those?”

    “Yeah. I missed you, too, you know.” His fingers combed at sweat-stuck hair.

    Sora’s smile was so sweet Riku wanted to kiss it off. The feeling caught him so strongly, he had to duck his head a bit so Sora wouldn’t catch him blushing. Not that Sora would attribute it to anything other than Riku being shy about his feelings…not that that wasn’t right on the munny. He reoriented his thoughts to the day ahead. He’d had a reason for asking for the time.

    “We should get ready for whenever Noctis comes looking for us.”

    Sora pouted, but agreed. They stood and gathered their clothes, Riku deciding to leave his jacket behind because of all the slashes in it. Then Sora went over to the massive closet and pulled out some towels and fresh boxers. He headed for the door and Riku hesitantly followed. He suspected that they’d been locked in, but the door opened without issue and Sora trekked down the hall. Riku jogged a few steps to keep up with him.

    “Where are we going?”

    “Bathroom. I bet you’d like a shower.”

    Riku would. It’d been a few days and he definitely felt greasier than he preferred. The walk to the bathroom was also longer than he preferred, especially in pajamas, but thankfully they didn’t pass anyone on their way—not that that was a good sign. It felt very, very suspicious that Noctis hadn’t sent someone to guard their door, much less follow them through the castle. He’d have to be stupid to have someone he’d considered a prisoner running around his castle unsupervised mere hours after release. Riku didn’t consider Noctis to be a stupid man.

    To his chagrin the bathroom Sora led him to barely fit two people. Thankfully the toilet stall had a separating wall so they could take turns and not feel too awkward about it. The shower itself, though was another issue. They set their clothes on the small bench across from the sink, and hung their towels on the rack above.

    Sora didn’t seem to think anything was amiss and just as the night before he stripped down without a second thought. Riku felt his cheeks heat and busied himself with folding his clothes in a neat pile—he’d had the cover of the dark to hide his blush then, but now he was screwed.

    Sora caught his eye and laughed. “I’ll go first.”

    He disappeared behind the shower curtain. Riku let out a sigh. At least Sora had assumed he was being awkward about something innocent…ish. Hmm.

    Without anywhere else to go, Riku took off everything but his boxers and sat on the bench to wait. For a moment the splash of water filled the room, then Sora’s voice echoed from the shower.

    “You said Luxu took your keyblade, but that’s not possible.”

    “I know, but I can’t summon it. I tried while they had me in a cell.”

    “They what?!”

    Riku had refrained from telling this to Sora last night in favor of the more pressing issue that they needed to leave. But, now Riku needed to tell him more of what he knew. Not all of it, though. Sora didn’t need to know it was romantic love he was being used for quite yet.

    “That’s why you can’t trust Noctis, Sora. Luxu threw me in a cell in that prison, then he and Noctis were talking. They thought I was asleep, but I heard everything. They put me in that vice to see what you would do, thinking by putting my life in danger you would engage your ability to reconnect the world.”

    “But it doesn’t work like that. I’ve only ever reconnected worlds after helping people solve a problem.”

    “I know, but they seem convinced. They also think we’re going to plan to escape.”

    The shower turned off. Riku hopped to his feet and grabbed Sora’s towel to give it to him. Seeing Sora wet and naked was going to do things to his brain, so he wanted to keep the exposure short.

    “Are we going to escape? Now that I know Kairi’s safe, I don’t know if I want to help these people anymore.”

    Huh. That was odd. Riku decided to comment as Sora stepped out and was immediately wrapped in a towel.

    “That’s not like you.”

    Sora looked up and shrugged, pushing Riku’s hands off the towel to tighten it around his chest.

    “War turns people into monsters. Monsters I don’t want to help.”

    Riku wasn’t sure what to say in return, so he focused on quickly getting in the shower. It was larger than he’d expected with a bench to sit on across from the shower head that had bottles of soap on it. He turned the water back on, smiling to himself because Sora had probably been on auto-pilot when he’d turned it off. He was mid-way through washing conditioner from his hair when Sora spoke up again.

    “I don’t think we can. Escape, that is. Lauriam and the others are still here and they don’t deserve to be stranded.”

    Riku couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved. _That_ was the Sora he knew. Even if—no, especially if—it was inconvenient.

    “Lauriam was Marluxia, right? Who are the others?”

    Riku turned off the water and hopped out, finding Sora waiting with a towel just as he had been. Sora wrapped it around his waist as he answered,

    “Elrena was Larxene, and Ludor was Luxord.”

    Riku knew Larxene from Castle Oblivion, but he’d never personally met Luxord. It was strange that those three would be here, too. Was it related to their deaths in the final battle against Xehanort? Maybe this place was only accessible through the Keyblade Graveyard. Did Sora know?

    “Why are they in Eos?”

    Sora frowned, then his expression became sheepish. “I…kinda haven’t asked.”

    Riku made a show of rolling his eyes. Sora pinched his stomach. Riku swatted him away, only to have his hand beaten back. They cracked smiles.

    “Missed you.” Sora murmured, pulling Riku into a hug, cheek resting against Riku’s breastbone.

    Riku looped his arms over Sora’s shoulders and though his skin was still dripping there was no harm done—Sora hadn’t gotten dressed yet, still wrapped up in his towel.

    Riku sighed. They’d always been physically close but ever since Sora had taken him out of that vice they’d been touching nonstop. Had Sora missed him so much that he’d become desperate to touch Riku? No, that was silly, Sora didn’t think of him like that. Right? Sora was probably just trying to remind himself that Riku was really there since _so much_ time had passed. But that idea just made Riku’s heart hurt. Sora himself had said he hadn’t thought he’d see Riku again. He must have felt abandoned.

    “I can hear the gears turning.” Sora murmured, then added, “even though your brain’s ten feet in the air.”

    That made Riku laugh, distracting him from his thoughts. “It’s not my fault you’re short.”

    Sora gave him his classic pouty face, then put his hand on one of Riku’s biceps and tried—valiantly—to wrap his fingers fully around it.

    “And these! When did you get so…so _ripped_?”

    Riku choked on air. “What!?”

    Sora giggled. “I’m just telling you how I see it.”

    “In your dreams, maybe.” Riku scoffed, aiming for sarcastic.

    To his sheer astonishment Sora’s cheeks tinted and he hid his face against Riku’s chest, looking down at their toes. His arms wrapped around Riku’s waist again. Riku couldn’t think of a reason for Sora to blush at that unless Sora actually dreamed about him. He felt his heartrate double and hoped Sora didn’t notice.

    Sora cleared his throat, “So what were you thinking about anyway?”

    What had he been thinking about? Sora had completely derailed his train of thought. Wait…oh yeah. Nothing he wanted to tell Sora. He picked a different thought instead.

    “I was thinking we should put clothes on. Before Noctis shows up.”

    “He can wait.” Sora’s tone was not light or teasing, but forceful and annoyed.

    Riku felt the need to remind him, “We’re guests and he’s a king. We have to go when he asks or we could get in more trouble.”

    Sora grumbled but gave in. They dressed in silence, eyes down cast and focused on their own tasks. Well. _Riku_ was. Sora kept looking at him that same way he had last night while they’d been changing. Riku couldn’t identify it as he’d never seen Sora look at him that way before. If he were jealous of Riku’s muscles he would just say so…so what was it?

    Dressed and dried, the pair made their way back to Sora’s room. They found Larxene—Elrena—leaning against the doorframe and tapping vigorously on her phone. She was wearing a blue jacket and matching pants, with a white blazer tucked underneath the jacket. The outfit looked sharp on her and was significantly more flattering than the Organization coat.

    She glared up at them when they stopped just a few feet away. “Ugh, took you long enough.”

    Riku wasn’t surprised that her bad attitude hadn’t changed. Sora opened the door with a shrug, saying,

    “We had to clean up.”

    “Ew, I don’t wanna know.” Elrena pretended to gag.

    The two ignored her, and Riku was pleased when she didn’t follow them into the room. Sora dumped his pajamas on the bed, so Riku placed his beside them. Sora had left their towels in the bathroom. They stood for a moment, Sora facing the closet while Riku watched his shoulders square. Then, Sora turned to Riku and held out his hand. He took it and their fingers wove together. With that, they returned to the hallway.

    Elrena began to walk in a different direction than the bathroom. Sora followed, tugging Riku along. No one spoke until they came to a corridor which ended in a closed gold-trimmed door, with benches lining each wall. On opposite benches closest to the door sat Lauriam and Ludor. Elrena sat next to Ludor who was busy shuffling a deck of playing cards and hadn’t noticed them come in. Lauriam, however, paid them a little too much attention.

    “Sora. Riku. Come here.” He waved them forward.

    Sora complied, because of course he did. And Riku followed, because of course he would. Lauriam reached out and separated their joined hands as soon as they were standing within range.

    “The Master cannot see any more of your true affection for one another. It will make getting out of here alive that much harder for the all of us.” He hissed, giving them stern looks.

    Sora frowned, “What do you mean?”

    Riku knew. Lauriam was confirming what he’d heard in that prison cell. Noctis was going to use Sora’s “affection” for Riku to reconnect Eos. Riku knew that would put his own life in danger, but how would that threaten the others’ survival? Ava hadn’t mentioned these three, so it was hard for Riku to place their roles with the tiny amount of information he had.

    He crossed his arms over his chest right as Sora tried to grab his hand again. Riku was going to have to explain himself once this meeting was over—his stomach knotted as he considered what that meant. A confession in full. To Sora.

    “Riku—.” Sora began to protest, but Riku cut him off.

    “Just listen to him, Sora. I’ll explain later.”

    Sora visibly drooped, shoving his hands in his hoodie pouch and giving Lauriam his attention instead.

    “Fine. Why are you guys here, anyway?” Sora asked.

    “The Master has yet to show his hand. All he mentioned was ‘plans are progressing’.” Ludor informed them from the other side of the corridor.

    Sora and Riku took a few steps back so they could see everyone.

    “Now that Riku is here, your power to reconnect the world will be easy to access. I’m sure the Master has gathered us to tell us how he plans to stage the event.” Lauriam mused, one hand rubbing at his chin in thought.

    “What if he makes him do it now?” Elrena’s expression was pinched, nervous.

    “I’ll call for backup.”

    “Really, that loser? I wouldn’t rely on him.” Was her snide response.

    Lauriam gave her a sharp look, “You already are.”

    “Who are you talking about?” Sora interjected, tone suspicious.

    Lauriam gave him a sly smile, “I told you, Sora. You have more friends here than you know.”

    No more was said as the door opened, revealing the big, burly man who had been with Noctis yesterday. If Sora wanted to talk about ripped, this guy was it. Riku wasn’t within miles of that much physical mass.

    “Good, you’re all here. Come on in.” His voice was deep, just adding to the effect.

    Was Sora into muscly guys? Riku couldn’t picture Sora doting on a person so much bigger than him. The guy looked like he could snap Sora in half like a stick.

    If Riku walked a little closer to Sora, no one needed to know.

    The throne room they entered was massive. Riku found himself dumbfounded by the sheer size of this castle. It seemed to go on forever. Maybe escaping would be a bad idea simply because they’d get _lost_.

    The group came to a stop at the flat level above the first set of stairs, under the ornate throne. Noctis and two other men were already standing on that level in the middle of a conversation. One had short hair and glasses, the other…the other looked like Roxas. There were differences—Roxas didn’t have facial hair for one—but the similarities were unnerving.

    “Oh hey, Sora!” Not-Roxas greeted, halting the conversation that had been taking place.

    He and Sora shared some kind of secret handshake, a smile returning to Sora’s face.

    “Hey, Prompto. Surviving without me?”

    “Barely. I’m trying to convince Noct to let you come back.” Prompto’s eyes drifted over the crowd, landing on Riku, “Oh, hey! This must be Riku. Nice to meet you, Sora’s told me so much about you.”

    Riku didn’t accept the hand held out to him. Depending on _what_ Sora had shared, Prompto could easily be a contributor to Noctis’ decision that Sora loved Riku, and that Riku needed to be tortured because of it.

    “He has, has he?” He asked dryly, giving Sora an exasperated look.

    Would it kill him not to try and make friends with _everybody_?

    Sora had the decency to look sheepish, murmuring, “I tell everyone about you.”

    Riku didn’t know if that made him feel better or worse. The thought crossed his mind that while _Riku_ never said anything about loving Sora, Sora himself could have told anybody— _if_ Sora felt that way.

    “Prompto, I very much doubt the young man is going to be receptive to new friends after yesterday.” The man with glasses chided.

    Prompto shrugged, then turned back to Noctis who had watched the whole exchange with amusement.

    “So what’s your answer, chief?”

    “Still no. I need Sora and Riku to stay here.”

    The look Noctis gave him left a sour taste in Riku’s mouth.

    “But Noct we’re getting so close—.”

    “Prompto. I’ve made up my mind.” His tone was definitive, so Prompto gave up his protest.

    Noctis then dismissed Prompto, the man with glasses, and the muscled man who’d brought them into the room. That left only those from the Realm of Light. Riku took a moment to assess the situation, in case Lauriam’s words came true and they fell under attack. Without his keyblade Riku didn’t like the odds.

    Noctis had turned his back to them, leaning over what Riku had thought to be an altar. Upon closer inspection he could see a map sprawled out over the stone slab. There were no markers on it, but it was clear from the way he was looking at it that Noctis used it for more than decoration. Noctis himself, based on Riku’s conversation with Ava, had lost a significant amount of his keyblade power to time. But not all of it. That made his ability to fight unknown but potentially deadly. Not to mention how intelligent he clearly was—even if all his magic were stripped, Riku was sure Noctis could outsmart him.

    Lauriam, Elrena, and Ludor were standing in a triangle with Lauriam in front of the other two. Lauriam stood with one hand on his hip and the other by his side, far more relaxed than the other two. Elrena and Ludor looked as ready for a fight as Riku felt.

    And then, of course, Sora. Sora, who was walking up to stand next to Noctis by the map. Maybe brave, maybe naïve. It was hard to tell with him, sometimes.

    “What did you find out about yesterday?” Sora asked.

    “I found out a lot of things yesterday.” Noctis answered vaguely, still gazing at the map.

    Sora glanced at Riku, then Lauriam.

    “About Riku’s capture?” He tried again, more specific.

   The tension in the air was palpable as Noctis turned around and leaned against the slab. He crossed his arms over his chest, and the leering look he gave Riku raised the hair on his arms. Yesterday Noctis had played at sorry and remorseful, but today Riku could see more of the evil mastermind Ava had warned him about. This man was a clever manipulator and it showed.

    “Didn’t he tell you?” Noctis sounded tired, like the bearer of bad news.

    “Yes, but I want to hear it from you.”

    Noctis fully turned his attention to Sora, demeanor apologetic and honest even though Sora and Riku knew he was lying.

    “Witnesses were found. They informed that it was Luxu, not soldiers, who captured Riku. I confronted Luxu and he told me he knew that Riku hadn’t been a clone, but had captured him for the fun of it. He’s been properly reprimanded, I promise.”

    Riku hoped Xigbar hadn’t been sent back to harass Ava. Maybe Joshua and Neku would be there to help her.

    “Thanks.” Was all Sora said in return.

    Noctis addressed the rest of the group, “Now that Riku is here we’re the closest we’ve ever been to getting home. Lauriam, you and I are going to work on perfecting a series of tests for Sora to practice unlocking. Elrena, Ludor, the two of you can continue helping with the war or help with the tests, that’s up to you. Riku, I’ll need you to support Sora, and in the meantime Sora I need you to continue to dive into your heart. It should get easier since your friend is here.”

    Everyone gave murmurs of agreement except Sora.

    “What about Kairi?”

    Noctis’ face went blank for a moment before he frowned. “Prompto’s team is still working on finding her. They can do that without you.”

    “Okay, but I want to know as soon as she’s found. You would feel the same if Luna was the one trapped, wouldn’t you?”

    Noctis’ eyes narrowed, and his response was a puzzled, “Yes…”

    Sora stared him down a lot longer than he probably should have before leaving Noctis’ side and returning to Riku’s.

    Noctis dismissed the two of them, then, so Riku followed Sora out of the massive throne room and into the corridor where they’d waited.

    Sora flung his hands in the air as soon as the heavy black door closed.

    “What’s his _problem_!?” He yelled, voice echoing in the small space.

    “Shh, Sora!” Riku hissed, but Sora ignored him in favor of stomping forward through the poorly lit hall.

    “You were right, he’s been lying to me this whole time! And that whole bullshit about Luxu, I bet that asshole didn’t get so much as a disapproving look!”

     Riku hasted a few steps forward, grabbed Sora by the shoulder, and whirled him around. He put his free hand over Sora’s mouth in case he kept shouting.

    “Shut it, Sora. I’m serious. We’re not safe here and you know it.”

    Sora rolled his eyes and pushed Riku off. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave Riku one of the most annoyed expressions he’d seen since they’d left the Islands.

    “I don’t care! These people tried to kill you, and they lied to me, and it turns out everyone I trusted here is my enemy! I don’t think I can even trust Lauriam because he’s going to help Noctis make those ‘tests’ which are probably just going to be more traps where they try to kill you and—.”

    “You can trust me.” Riku’s voice spoke from the hallway behind Sora.

    Frustration drained from Sora’s face, “I know. I’ll always trust you, Riku.”

   Riku grabbed Sora and shoved him behind him, bracing himself as the figure moved in the shadows of the hall. One red eye glowed in the low light.

    “I didn’t say that.” Riku told Sora.

    “No, you didn’t.” His voice agreed.

    The man came closer until both Riku and Sora could see him properly. Aside from the red eye, hair length, and clothes, the copy looked exactly like Riku. Their faces, age, height, build, leaning a bit to the right as he came to a stop a few feet in front of them…and his voice. All exactly the same, as Joshua and the others had warned.

    Riku’s adrenaline spiked—keyblade or not he was ready to defend Sora from the man who’d traumatized him so drastically. After what Sora had told him yesterday it was easy for Riku to hate Yozora—and not because they looked the same. Anyone who knew Sora knew that other people’s suffering hurt him—to force him to sit and watch people be cut up, or die, was beyond evil. Sora had done _nothing_ to deserve that kind of treatment.

    “Yozora?” Sora tried to step around Riku, but Riku threw an arm out to stop him.

    No way was he letting Sora get close to that monster.

    Sora grabbed Riku’s wrist and moved his arm away, but he kept his grip, nails digging into the skin.

    “Sora. I’m glad you’re okay.”

    “Okay?! You tried to kill my best friend yesterday!” Sora snapped.

    Yozora looked hurt—Riku recognized the expression as his own.

    “No, I tried to stop the others from doing that. When you left the room I tried to shut off the vice, but Luxu shoved me out of the way. He was the one controlling it. They locked me in my room—I just escaped to come find you.”

    “Don’t lie to me. I’m sick of being lied to. You love torturing people, why would you stop just for me?”

    Yozora cocked his head, a sardonic smile on his lips. “Really, Sora? Because you’re my friend you idiot. I wouldn’t hurt you on purpose.”

    “You made me watch people _die_ , Yozora, what the fuck are you talking about?” Sora growled.

    “ _You_ never mentioned your best friend looked _exactly_ like me.”

    Sora shifted on his feet, anger sharply subdued, “I didn’t think he’d ever come here.”

    That hurt Riku’s heart—Sora really had felt abandoned.

    Yozora shook his head, “You still should have told me.”

    “And what would that have changed? You still would have taken me to watch, you still would have tortured people, you still would have been there yesterday when Riku was in the vice.”

    “I would’ve checked every clone closer. I would’ve—.”

    “Save it. You’re still a murderer and I will _never_ trust you."

    “Don’t be a hypocrite, you’ve killed people too, Sora. Or did you think magitek were just suits of armor?” Yozora sneered.

    Sora’s grip on Riku’s wrist tightened painfully—Riku recalled how Joshua had described the magitek as part tissue, part machine. He didn’t think that constituted them as _people_ , per say. Riku also didn’t like that look on a copy of his face—far too reminiscent of the time Ansem Seeker of Darkness had taken over his heart.

    Riku decided he’d heard enough.

    “What do you want?” He interjected harshly.

    Yozora didn’t look at him as he answered, “I want to help you. We need to escape.”

    “Jee I never would’ve guessed.” Sora sassed, “I’m just so excited to stay with the people who tried to kill Riku.”

    Sora should be sarcastic more often. It was kind of…hot.

    “Sora, I’m serious. Yesterday reminded me of my sister. What happened is making me think about what I’m doing more than I have in years.” Yozora insisted.

    To Riku’s surprise, Sora relaxed a bit. He sighed and let go of Riku to cross his arms over his chest. What was it about this man’s sister that Sora knew? Riku imagined a little girl with silver hair being tortured. Was Yozora’s motive as simple as vengeance? Riku felt a swell of pride—his own motivation was far nobler and standing right next to him.

    “I don’t know if I believe you, but I want to. Riku is more important to me than _anything_ and I know your sister was, too.”

    Riku was about to protest that Sora shouldn’t just trust this man at the drop of a hat, when a new voice spoke.

    “Oh, Sora, I like the sound of that. Say it again.”

    All three men startled and glared down the hall in the direction Yozora had come from. Mixed in with the shadows was the unmistakable outline of Xigbar and his disgusting smirk. Yozora took a few steps toward them, away from Xigbar, but Riku’s responding glare didn’t let him get too close.

    Sora had guessed right, Xigbar had faced no punishment. Another lie to check on Noctis’ list.

    Sora’s keyblade was in his hands as he stepped in front of Riku. “Didn’t I tell you to go away?”

    Xigbar laughed. “You can try again, if you want. Maybe snap your fingers, that’ll do the trick.”

    “Give me my keyblade back.” Riku snapped before Sora could do something that would make the situation worse while Riku was weaponless.

    If the posture of his body was anything to go by it really seemed like Sora was moments from breaking Luxu’s face, which definitely constituted as _worse._

   “What, this?” Xigbar held out his hand and Braveheart materialized in it, “Do you really think you need it? If you can’t beat me you can’t beat the Master. And Sora here can protect you from the little nasties.”

    “Give it back!” Sora shouted, dismissing his own keyblade.

    Braveheart appeared in his hand a second later. Sora had to grab it with both hands to avoid falling over, and he awkwardly passed it to Riku. It felt like things could only go up from here as he held the familiar weight of the weapon. Xigbar had made a mistake by summoning it—had he forgotten that he’d been struck down by the combination of Riku and Sora’s powers?

    But Xigbar didn’t seem worried at all. Riku grit his teeth—maybe the old man was just showing off what kind of power he really had, trying to unnerve them. Riku hated to admit it was working. He’d never had someone steal his keyblade before, even though he knew it was possible—he’d done it to Sora once, after all.

    “Little word of advice? Don’t tell anybody you got that back. It’ll come in handy for you when they least expect it.” Xigbar pointed at Braveheart, then rested his hands on his hips.

    The beginnings of a dark portal formed around him.  

    “What are you planning?” Sora demanded.

    Xigbar shrugged as the Darkness swept over him. His voice rang out one last time before the portal vanished,

    “Planning? I told you—our escape. Oh, and keep an eye out for blondie. He should be here tomorrow.”

    “Blondie?” Sora repeated into dead air.

    “Sounds like he’s got henchmen, we should be ready for an attack before the end of the day.” Not-Riku’s voice mused.

    Sora whirled around and glared at Yozora. If looks could kill Riku imagined the copy would’ve dropped dead then and there. Sora leveled his keyblade at Yozora’s throat.

    “You need to shut up.” Sora snapped, “I don’t care if you follow us but _shut up_.”

    Yozora gave a single nod. Riku sighed—Sora was too kind. But he chose not to protest, deciding to keep an eye on Yozora himself. Besides, maybe Yozora knew some ways to sneak out of this maze of a castle. Sora and Riku sure didn’t.

    Sora’s keyblade disappeared, then, so Riku followed his lead and let Braveheart go. Sora’s hand grabbed his wrist again, and they hurried through the halls to Sora’s room in silence. Yozora trailed a few feet behind.

    Riku would be glad Sora had learned his lesson about ranting in the halls, except now Sora was more visibly upset than before. His eyes were watery, his hand trembled where it clung to Riku, and he was flushed from such charged conversations with Yozora and Xigbar. Riku himself could still feel his adrenaline pumping. It wouldn’t be going away anytime soon, either. He had some explaining to do that was making him nervous. Especially now that they would have an unwelcome audience.

    As soon as the door closed behind them, Sora sank down to the ground with his back pressed against it and his head between his knees. Riku dropped down next to him, partly because Sora still had his wrist captured and partly because he wouldn’t be caught dead doing anything else than comforting his best friend. Yozora hovered a few feet into the room, looking torn. Riku glared at him until he backed off and sat on the edge of the bed, flicking on the lamp. Yozora still watched Sora. Riku supposed he would just have to put up with that.

    Sora’s breaths were uneven, and he’d dug the fingers of his free hand into his hair. Unsure what to say, Riku leaned back against the door, drew his knees up, and pulled Sora’s attached arm into his lap. His other hand joined Sora’s over his wrist. Riku tilted his head back. Ordinarily he would’ve gazed out the window across the room, but the endless night meant there wasn’t much to look at other than the dim shapes of skyscrapers lit by streetlights. The soft orange glow of the bedside lamp merely reflected on the wall of windows, too, so if anything Riku could see his reflection. Not that that was a comfort.

    Comfortable or not, it was time for Sora to know.

    “I learned more of Xigbar and Noctis’ plans while I talked with Ava and was in the prison. Things that are related to why Lauriam didn’t want us holding hands in the throne room.”

    “Okay…” Sora didn’t look up, but his hand squeezed Riku’s wrist.

    Riku squeezed back.

   “Noctis and Xigbar have a theory that you can’t connect with the heart of this world without the person you love—romantically. Ava told me that love is Light’s strongest power, and with it you would be able to engage the power to reconnect Eos. Noctis and Xigbar think forcing you to protect the person you love would help you draw on that power. That’s why,” Riku’s heart rate tripled as he spoke, apprehensive of the impending awkwardness, “they put me in the vice.”

    Sora stilled, but said nothing. Riku let him think. This one clue he’d been keeping secret connected a lot of dots, and on top of that Riku had just backed Sora into a corner. Sora either loved Riku or he didn’t and now he would be forced to share. Riku would be put out if he were in Sora’s shoes, to say the least. He just hoped Sora didn’t blame him. Thankfully Yozora kept his mouth shut, too, but the look he was giving Riku was anything but kind.

    The angle Sora took with his response was nothing Riku could have guessed.

    “They shouldn’t think that. I’ve talked so much about Kairi. Even just in the throne room to Noctis, remember? When I asked about her and said I wanted to know when they found her. And,” Sora drew a breath, “I was thinking about it earlier—they should’ve just asked me how I connected with other worlds in the first place! Forcing me isn’t going to work no matter how they try to do it.”

    So. That was the answer, then. Kairi was wrong. He felt the letter he’d written burn a hole in his pocket, then his heart. On the flip side he was glad that Sora had figured out the whole reconnecting worlds thing on his own. It was good that Sora didn’t need Kairi to do it since she wasn’t here. Now it was a matter of convincing Noctis and Xigbar that Sora didn’t love him so they wouldn’t try to kill him again.

    Riku was about to voice this thought when Sora suddenly sat up, bracing his weight against Riku with his trapped arm and the hand that had been in his hair relocated to Riku’s knee. His eyes were wide and worried, and his face was _extremely_ close. Riku’s heart felt like it was running a marathon. He leaned his head away a bit to create more space as Sora frantically spoke.

    “Wait, I…Riku, in the hall. I told Yozora you were—and then Luxu showed up and said…fuck.”

    “What?” Riku hadn’t followed an ounce of that.

    “Luxu heard me say you were more important than anything.”

    Ah. Sora had accidently sealed their fate, and he hadn’t even meant it that way. Riku was more important than _most_ anything. Just not Kairi. He really wished she were here right now so he could point and say _I told you so_ like his jealous fifteen year old self would have.

    “I’ll just need to talk about Kairi more when we’re around them. Maybe about how excited I am to see her again. That’ll be easy ‘cause it’s true.” Sora thought aloud.

    “It might be too late, but it’s worth a shot.” Riku agreed, wishing Sora would give him just a little bit of his personal space back.

    “How is Kairi? I realized I haven’t actually asked. She’d probably kick my butt for that.” Sora smiled at the thought.

    Riku couldn’t help a tiny smile, too. Kairi would _absolutely_ kick his butt if she knew Sora had taken this long to ask.

    “She’s alright, planning to train with Merlin more. She really misses you. She’s been writing you letters to stay connected to you.”

    “Letters? I wonder if that’s why I never lost her heart.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “I…” Sora ducked his head so Riku couldn’t see his face anymore, “there was a night where I woke up, and realized I could feel your heart again. I hadn’t even noticed I’d lost the connection because I could still feel Kairi’s.” Sora sounded apologetic, but Riku _knew_ the blame was on him.

    “I didn’t write to you until the night before I came here.” He admitted.

    Sora looked up, expression eager, “That must have been when your connection came back.”

    “Yeah, probably.”

    Sora’s smile was soft, and for a while they sat in silence just being present with one another. It gave Riku a chance to decompress from the sharp reminder that his feelings for Sora were one-sided. Now they would need to focus their efforts on escaping—that way Sora wouldn’t have to babble on about Kairi in front of Noctis or Xigbar, and Riku wouldn’t be forced to listen.

    It was then that Yozora spoke up. He’d been so quiet, Riku had almost forgotten he was there. Almost.

    “I’m confused. Isn’t Kairi the friend of yours imprisoned by the Empire?”

    “Riku says she’s at home. Wait, you don’t know that either…hmph.” Sora frowned, at a loss.

    Sora sucked at the world order rule, so Riku was amazed Yozora didn’t _already_ know. But maybe it wouldn’t matter now. If Yozora really wanted to help them it was best that he knew the truth. Or, if he learned the truth he’d decide he’d want no part in helping them and go away. Riku preferred the latter as petty as it was.

    “I get the feeling you don’t know who we really are.” Riku said to Yozora.

    It was Yozora’s turn to frown. “What do you mean?”

    Riku and Sora exchanged a glance. This would take a while.


	13. Respite

    The explanation of who they and the others from the Realm of Light really were was incredibly draining for Sora and Riku after the chaos and emotional strain of the past two days. Yozora had asked _a lot_ of questions, and since neither Sora nor Riku had their gummyphones with them they had no proof other than their word.

    Sora was fairly sure they hadn’t convinced him their story was true by the time Lauriam came looking for them.

    Lauriam had a grave expression as he was welcomed into the room after Yozora had stuffed himself in Sora’s closet. He was pushing another cart of food, so Sora and Riku stepped to the side to make room. Sora’s heart sank when he noticed a third plate and set of pajamas—Noctis knew Yozora was with them.

    “What happened?” Sora asked, hoping Lauriam would share with them what Noctis had asked him to do.

    “The Master wants the three of you to remain here tonight. And I suggest you listen to Luxu.” Lauriam let the cart go and gave Sora a meaningful look, “Otherwise, I shouldn’t tell you anything else.”

    “So you still trust him—Luxu?” Sora asked, decidedly ignoring Lauriam’s warning.

    Lauriam sighed and nodded, “I know he’s rough around the edges, Sora, but as he’s told you he’s the one who will secure our way home.”

    Sora wasn’t sure he believed that. Luxu had been the one to hurt Riku and bring him to the prison. If what Yozora said was true, Luxu had been the one commanding the vice while Sora was trying to free Riku. Why would Luxu try to help them get home after all the harm he’d caused? The contradicting behavior was so confusing. Did they actually need Sora’s power to get home? Or was that a lie they’d fed Noctis? Was Sora’s power even unique or had that been a lie, too?

    “Is any of it true, then? Do I still need to reconnect Eos or does Luxu have another way?”

    “Unfortunately that burden still rests on you. Our goal is to get you through it, which means getting you out of this castle.”

    Sora wanted to trust him, he really did.

    “Thanks, Lauriam.”

    “Of course. And say hi for me. I doubt I’ll see you tomorrow before he shows up.”    

    Lauriam left before Sora could ask what that meant. Luxu had said something similar. What were they planning, and who was this mystery person?

    Once the door was closed Yozora joined them and the three filled their plates. This time Sora left the table where it was and they sat on the floor in a triangle, Riku and Sora with their backs to the bed and sides brushing, Yozora across from them.

    “Okay, I believe you.” Yozora announced once they were settled.

    “It took Lauriam to convince you?” Riku asked, snide.

    If Yozora had taken this long to warm up to the idea that they were from an entirely different _planet_ , Riku was taking twice as long to show Yozora any kindness. Not that Sora could blame him. Though Yozora had showed openness to learning about their story and hadn’t tried to hurt them, Sora couldn’t help but see remnants of nightmares or memories from yesterday every time he looked at the man.

    “Well, no. Having a few minutes to absorb the information, think about it without being able to ask… I’d wondered why the Master suddenly had four new people working with us, and why he’d given Luxu such a position of high trust when I’d been helping for years. Now it makes sense.”

    There was a beat where they all chewed, then Yozora asked,

    “Do you plan to play along still?”

    “What do you mean?” Sora asked.

    “With their plan for you to connect your heart with Eos. I know it will take you home, but maybe there’s another way.”

    “Lauriam said they didn’t have one, and if they can’t figure something out I doubt I’ll be able to.”

    Sora ignored the disapproving look Riku gave him.

    “You’re not alone in this. We should try. I know you want to go home, but this world is _my_ home. I want to protect it from whatever the Master has planned. I keep thinking about it, and it sounds like reconnection will only bring more harm to Eos.” Yozora insisted.

    Sora hadn’t thought of that. At least, not directly. He knew the return of Noctis and Luxu to the Realm of Light would be disastrous for _everyone_ in the universe, but he hadn’t thought about how the people of Eos would specifically be affected. Being suddenly thrust into a galaxy with unknown worlds and peoples was going to change Eos forever. Sora remembered the terror of the night Destiny Islands had been swallowed by Darkness and felt empathetic toward Yozora for the first time in two days.

    “Ava did say that Eos is a place for keyblade wielders between life and death, so I wonder if it’s never actually been connected with the other worlds. In that case, connecting it may be incredibly dangerous.” Riku mused, “But I can’t think of another way home for all of us off the top of my head.”

    Sora picked at his plate with his fork, “I guess we should try and find one, then.”

    The trio fell into silence for a while. Sora mulled over this new idea. He’d spent so much time believing reconnection was the only way home that it was hard to break from that frame of mind. The heart had plenty of other magic, surely there was _something_ Riku and Sora could do that would be powerful enough to send them back. Maybe they’d just have to hold hands with Lauriam, Ludor, and Elrena so they wouldn’t be left behind.

    They began telling stories of their childhood while they finished dinner and beyond into the night. Yozora told some about his sister Sora hadn’t heard, and Riku shared stories about days Sora had been sick, leaving only Riku and Kairi to fend for themselves on the elementary school playground. Sora hadn’t even heard some of them. He’d had no idea Riku and Kairi had had so many adventures without him. It kind of…hurt? But in a good way—he was glad they got along without him.

    Eventually, exhausted from the day, Sora suggested they all go to sleep.

    Two of the pillows and the comforter were sacrificed for Yozora to sleep on the floor. Riku climbed into bed facing the windows with his back to Sora, who made sure Yozora was set. Once Yozora waved him away, Sora laid on his back next to Riku and closed his eyes in hope of sleep.

    If he should be so lucky.

   His mind spun for hours with the events of yet another miserable day. The only bright side was that Riku had been with him, but even then Riku himself had to be feeling just as drained—having to deal with Sora’s outburst at being lied to, meeting Yozora, and as always Luxu was always a sorry sight. Oh, and of course finding out his best friend was in love with him. Based on the fact that Riku had his back turned to Sora, he probably didn’t appreciate that, either.

    Sora didn’t want Riku to reject him. He’d been scared of it ever since he’d discovered he wanted to kiss the boy he’d known his entire life. He’d been scared Riku wouldn’t want to talk to him, be his friend, see him ever again. But Riku hadn’t acted differently so far…it was such a relief.

    Secrets were such a waste of time. Sora had always believed that. Whenever his friends had kept secrets from him as kids, he’d harassed them endlessly until they shared with him. Riku was sure to think him a hypocrite for keeping a secret of his own. Especially about something so important.

    How _had_ Noctis figured it out? Maybe it had been Luxu who’d put the puzzle together and passed on the news. Sora’s behavior while he’d been searching for Riku after waking from a year of sleep had been anything but subtle—maybe the entire Organization had known.

    Sora let out a heavy sigh. He sucked at brooding, unlike Riku who could keep whatever was bothering him wrapped up for _years_. The longest grudge Riku had ever held had been against Wakka for stealing _Pokémon_ cards from him in elementary school. It hadn’t been until Riku started his second year of middle school that he’d gotten over it. Sora always preferred to be open about how he felt, though maybe Riku’s strategy was for the best, considering that Sora’s had landed the two of them in danger.

    Beside him, Riku turned over on his back, then his side, facing Sora. It’d been so long since they’d laid down that Sora was surprised Riku was awake. Maybe Riku’s own thoughts were keeping him up, too.

    “I can’t sleep when you’re thinking so loud.” Riku grumbled quietly, but his expression was curious.

    Sora let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and whispered, “Sorry.”

    An arm wrapped around his chest, silver hair tickling his chin as Riku curled up against his side. Sora froze for a second, before letting his arm fall over Riku’s shoulders so it wouldn’t get squished between them. What was he doing?

    Riku’s fingers tapped over Sora’s ribs. _Oh hell no_.

    “Hey! Don’t start that again.” Sora hissed, snagging Riku’s hand and weaving their fingers together so he could keep them prisoner.

    A tickle war was going to wake up Yozora. Riku hadn’t minded holding hands earlier, Sora reminded himself. Would that change now?

    “ _You_ don’t start that again.” Riku countered.

    He propped his chin up with his free hand so he could hover over Sora, though _hover_ was a stretch considering Riku was practically lying on top of him with his leg hooked over Sora’s and most of their torsos pressed together. Sora let his arm slide from Riku’s shoulders and land on the mattress.

    Apparently nothing was going to change. Not even that soft look that made Sora’s bones melt. Did Riku even know he had that superpower?

    “You don’t even know what I’m sorry for.” Sora argued, trying to distract himself with banter from how heated his body was getting.

    Riku couldn’t possibly be upset about the love thing if he was doing this, so then what was this about? Was he trying to make fun of Sora? Or did he…?

    “Don’t need to. Whatever it is, it’s not your fault.” Riku was serious, and the pain Sora had kept hidden yesterday welled up inside his chest again—distraction successful.

    Riku had too much faith in him. Their being here _was_ his fault—he’d chosen to follow Kairi. Their being in danger _was_ his fault—he hadn’t been careful enough. Riku finding out that Sora loved him from someone else _was_ Sora’s fault. It _was_ Sora’s fault Riku had gone through so much suffering lately. Really, Riku should be _mad_ at him. Sora had failed to protect what mattered most because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

    “It is though. So I’m sorry.”

    Riku let out a defeated sigh, “Tell me why.”

    “Because I keep failing you.”

    “ _Failing_ me?” Riku repeated, incredulous, “You’ve never failed me, Sora.”

    “Yes I have! It’s my fault—.”

    “ _Nothing_ is your fault.” Riku said firmly.

    “It is, though!” Sora dug his nails into skin and sheets as his eyes began to burn.

    Why couldn’t Riku believe him for once?

    “Yozora’s right. I should’ve told him and maybe he could’ve prevented you from getting stuck in that vice.”

    “You and I both know that’s not true.” Riku was too calm, too measured.

    Annoyed, Sora searched his memory for another failure and found one easily.

    “I should’ve at least had my gummyphone. I usually leave it because I don’t want it to break, but I missed your texts and if I had just seen them I could’ve found you.”

    “Xigbar found me two seconds after I’d sent the last one.”

    Sora glared at him, though the anger he voiced was wholly directed at himself.

    “I should’ve recognized you immediately! How could I not know my best friend like that?”

    Sora trembled with the frustration that pricked the corners of his eyes. How could Riku not see that all of these things could’ve been prevented if Sora had just _payed attention_? He couldn’t stand to look at that forgiving face a second longer—he didn’t deserve it. He turned his head to the side and glared at the empty space Riku had occupied.

    “You’re upset because you couldn’t protect me.” Riku spoke with awe.

    “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I went after Kairi, I’m sorry I didn’t come back, I’m sorry you came after me! I don’t deserve it, I don’t deserve _you._ ”

    Sora felt awful putting all those thoughts from yesterday into words, but he had to. He just _felt_ so much! Leftover guilt from not being able to protect his friends that first time in the Graveyard. Leftover guilt from not being able to stop Xemnas from taking Kairi or Xehanort from killing her. Leftover guilt from not trying harder to get back home. Leftover guilt from Riku getting hurt because of him.

    Sora felt, as he had too often the past two years, useless. Worthless, pathetic _, useless._  

    He pulled his hand from Riku’s to cover his face with his arm, tears slipping free. He didn’t want Riku to notice. He’d been too vulnerable since Riku had come here, and if he wasn’t careful there were going to be consequences for it. After that run-in with Luxu he’d had a hard time keeping face in front of Yozora. It was easier to hide from other people, to put on a mask of innocence and joy. But he couldn’t hide from Riku.

    Especially because Riku didn’t give him the chance to hide. He pulled on Sora’s wrist until he gave in and let Riku lower it. Then Riku turned Sora’s chin, forcing him to look at him again. Sora’s heart ached upon seeing Riku’s expression crushed, as though someone had just told him his favourite dream eater had died. Riku let go of Sora’s chin to wipe at his cheeks with his thumb, smearing tears on skin as he spoke.

     “Come on, Sora. You don’t believe a word you’re saying. You searched for Kairi because you love her and you want to protect me because you love me. Love is nothing to be sorry for and it _is_ something you deserve. It’s what’s kept the three of us together this long, and it’s how I found you. _I_ don’t regret it and I know you don’t, either.”

    Wait…was Riku’s hand _trembling_? He never did that. Riku was always so cool and confident.

    Did Riku love him, too? Was that really all it took for Riku to overlook Sora’s mistakes? Sora knew love was why he never begrudged Riku anything from their past. Besides, Riku had grown so much. In so many ways Sora still felt like the lost fourteen year old boy who’d just lost his home. Confused, lonely, afraid. Knowing the only way back to normal was to reunite with his friends.

    Riku’s expression became defeated once again, “I hate seeing you lose faith in yourself like this. I don’t know how to help.”

    But what _was_ normal anymore? Sora hadn’t known anything considered socially normal in over four years. His normal constituted traveling through space with a dog and duck who could talk and were his father figures. His normal was bludgeoning creatures made of night with a giant key. His normal involved old men who could possess multiple people at once. There was no such thing as normal for Sora.

    Maybe normal was messy. Maybe normal was Sora trying his best in situations where he had no control. Maybe normal was Sora making mistakes so he could be better. Maybe…maybe normal was Riku loving him for those mistakes because they were a part of him. Maybe Sora _wasn’t_ a failure, a let-down, or a disappointment. Maybe he was just a kid in a shitty situation trying to _survive._

    “You are helping.” Sora murmured, allowing a tiny smile.

    He wiggled his wrist from Riku’s grip to weave their hands together again, and draped the arm that had been lying on the sheets over Riku’s shoulders. Riku didn’t try to pull away as Sora dragged him down into a hug, instead he allowed himself to be folded against Sora’s chest with his unoccupied arm tucked against Sora’s side and his head under Sora’s. Sora’s heart swelled—really, there was no curaga that could compare to Riku’s hugs.

    Riku let out a long sigh. “It doesn’t feel that way. Maybe you should talk with Kairi when we get home?”

    Sora wasn’t sure he wanted to tell Kairi any of that. He wanted her to see his strengths and _only_ his strengths, so she could look up to both Riku _and_ him. He’d always wanted to impress Kairi, and that hadn’t changed just because he didn’t have a crush on her anymore.

    “Maybe. But I don’t want her to think I regret saving her.”

    Riku huffed, “See?”

    Sora nodded. Love was good. Loving Kairi was good. Loving Riku was good. He didn’t regret saving his friend, even if it hurt that she was hurting. He didn’t regret that Riku was here with him, even if Riku was in danger. He didn’t regret loving Riku and Kairi, never had and never would.

    Yeah, he was catching on.

    “I don’t want you to think I regret having you here, either.”

    “I know you don’t.”

    “I’m just…I don’t want to lose you again.”

    Riku’s fingers tightened around his own, “You won’t. I promise.”

    “How do you know?” Sora breathed, a thought that escaped his lips rather than a genuine question.

    “Because, there’s nowhere else in the _universe_ I’d rather be than with you. I don’t want to lose you, either.”

    Sora’s heart plummeted to his toes. So. Riku _did_ love him back. He had to—why else would he say something like _that_? Sora was grateful for the dark and for their position so Riku couldn’t see how scarlet his cheeks turned. He tightened his arm over Riku’s shoulder.

    “You’re the best, Riku.”

    Riku chuckled, “You’re welcome.”

    “Hey!” Sora poked his shoulder.

    They giggled. Riku wiggled a bit, probably to make himself comfortable, but Sora had to try _very_ hard not to make any noise because, really, _Riku_ was lying _on top_ of him. Not that he would have it any other way _but still_.

    “Try to sleep, yeah?” Riku murmured, ear now laying over Sora’s heart.

    “Yeah.”

    Sora closed his eyes and focused on the sensation of Riku’s warmth draped over him to lull him to sleep. It worked, so long as Sora didn’t focus _too_ much.

~

    Sora woke the next morning to find Riku half-tucked against his chest with his head beside Sora’s, nose to throat. Their legs were entangled, and Riku had an arm slung over Sora’s hips. He was rubbing small, feather-light circles where his fingers met skin.

    Riku was so warm, Sora was momentarily convinced he was cuddled up with Lea instead. The thought made him snicker.

    Riku’s hand froze briefly before continuing its pattern.

    “What’s so funny?” He whispered.

    “You’re hot.” Was all Sora said, and the way Riku stiffened just made him giggle more.

    “What?!” Riku’s head shot up, and Sora gave him a sleepy grin.

    “Like, physically hot.”

    Riku scoffed, “What does _that_ mean?”

    “Chemically hot? Biophysically hot? Homeostasis hot?”

    “Do you even know those words?”

    “Yes! I’ve spent a whole year reading, for your information.”

    Riku didn’t respond, shaking with laughter instead. Sora poked at his sides, secretly reveling in the feel of Riku’s muscle definition through his shirt. Riku was far more than physically hot. _And_ not protesting to Sora’s flirting. Double win!

    “Breakfast is here.” Riku’s voice came from across the room.

    Sora’s blood ran cold. Riku stiffened, but didn’t act surprised to hear Yozora. Sora wondered if they’d been talking before he woke up—that was an uncomfortable thought. He and Riku disentangled to sit up. Sora was momentarily disoriented by the presence of his hoodie since he generally didn’t sleep with a shirt, the exception being around strangers. Wait, had Riku’s hand been _under_ his hoodie? That sneak…

    “Morning to you too.” Sora grumbled, glaring at Yozora who was seated on the floor, munching off a plate of eggs and waffles.

    Yozora’s eyes darted away. Sora smirked. Good. Let him be uncomfortable.

    Riku slid out of bed to set up his own plate. Sora didn’t feel like moving yet, so he flopped back against the pillows and closed his eyes. The bed was so much colder without Riku…

    Something warm was briefly set on Sora’s stomach and he cracked an eye open to see Riku lifting a plate over his nose.

    “We don’t know what’s going to happen today, so you need to eat.”

    Sora closed his eyes and whined. Riku set the plate on his stomach again and left it there. The bed dipped beside him, and Sora gave in. Really, he couldn’t say no to food. Even when he tried.

    Riku had reminded him of what Lauriam and Luxu had said yesterday. They needed to expect someone at any time, which meant they should probably stay in this room. Sora just hoped this mysterious someone came to get them before Noctis summoned them for whatever tests he’d devised.

    “I was thinking about what Luxu and Lauriam said.” Yozora spoke up, “And I think we should try to escape instead of wait around for some wild card.”

    Hmm. Sora wasn’t sure…he didn’t like that he didn’t know the identity of their proposed rescuer, but he didn’t like the idea of trusting Yozora to help them. Maybe with more time he would, but the hurt was still too fresh. One glance with Riku revealed he thought the same.

    “Do what you want, we’re going to wait.” Riku said.

    “What if waiting gets Sora killed?” Yozora snapped.

    Sora shot him another glare, “I can handle myself.”

    Yozora shook his head, “Not against Noctis. No one can.”

    Sora doubted that was true. Ava had said Noctis had been here for centuries, and that was certainly enough time for his power to fade drastically. It was a sure thing Noctis had never shared that information with anyone, though, so Sora decided not to tell Yozora. Just like Braveheart, his and Riku’s combined power was best kept secret until useful.   

    When his comment was left unacknowledged Yozora let out a frustrated growl. But he didn’t press, and they finished their meals in silence.

    After they’d cleaned up their plates, Sora flopped on the side of the bed with his legs dangling, feet brushing back and forth across the floor.

    “How much longer do we have to wait?” He complained aloud.

    Riku, who was examining the slices in his jacket, shrugged.

    “They just said ‘tomorrow’.”

    “We don’t have to stay in here. Noctis can find us no matter where we are, and I’m sure Luxu’s friend can do the same.” Yozora suggested, from where he was gazing at the street below.

    Sora had noticed that whenever Noctis had summoned him, the person he’d sent had never seemed confused or surprised at Sora’s location. The food cart with the unused pajamas for Yozora was another indication. But how could he do such a thing in a building the size of a city?

    “How _does_ he know?” Sora frowned at the ceiling.

    “My guess is magic.”

    “Sounds about right.”

    Sora began to kick the bed in more of a rhythm until Riku tossed his shredded coat over his face.

    There was a knock on the door.

    Sora groaned, “Don’t tell me that’s mystery guy.”

    He didn’t bother to take the coat off and see who opened the door. There was some shuffling of feet, then the bed dipped beside him. There was a sigh, then a voice spoke which made Sora’s stomach twist in fear.

    “Well. This is disappointing.”

    Sora sat up and flung Riku’s coat to the side, the zipper nearly slicing Riku’s cheek in the rush. But he didn’t have anything to say, could only gape at the man before them as his chest constricted with anxiety.

    Lauriam’s return meant two things. First, their rescuer was late. Second, they were going to have to go through the first of Noctis’ tests.

    Sora’s hand found Riku’s wrist and held tight.

    “He was supposed to be here by now.” Lauriam sounded as sorry as he looked.

    “So where is he?” Yozora snapped, coming over from the window to stand at the end of the bedframe.

    Lauriam sighed again, “Late, though really I shouldn’t be surprised.”

    “What do we do?” Sora asked.

    “The Master has sent me to bring you to the training arena. It’s there that you’ll complete the first test.”

    Riku’s hands clenched into fists, “We won’t go.”

    “Would you prefer the Master come here himself?”

    All three shook their heads. With a heavy heart, Sora let Riku lead him along the halls after Lauriam and Yozora. Despite the promise of the night before, there was nothing they could do now but play along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	14. Dumb Name

    Sora was nervous. It was obvious by the crouch of his shoulders, the flitting glances at the closed door, the constant readjusting of his keyblade in his grip. Riku had been taken as soon as they’d arrived by a couple of kingsglaive Yozora didn’t know the names of. Surprisingly, neither Sora nor Riku had protested. They’d given each other a nod, then Riku had let himself be led inside the arena. They’d been left waiting for the guards to return for the nearly half an hour. Yozora couldn’t blame Sora for being upset.

    Yozora himself was frustrated. The Master had greeted them, acting as though he were truly the king of Lucis and not an imposter, then whisked away with Lauriam to the observation deck of the training arena. Now that he knew the Master’s true identity, he had to wonder if _Noctis_ was even his real name or if he’d stolen that, too.

    He’d begun to wonder how Lucis had let an immortal become their king, and how Noctis had hidden it from them all so well. In fact, he’d begun to question everything he knew. _Upsetting_.

    The door hissed open, and for a moment he and Sora watched it expectantly for the two kingsglaive to return. They couldn’t see anything on the other side, as all the lights were off.

    An intercom within the arena crackled to life, and Noctis’ voice came through.

    _“Let’s begin. You have thirty minutes to find Riku and unlock him. If you fail, Riku will not survive. Good luck.”_

    Sora made a horrible noise, half groan half scream and bashed his keyblade against the wall.

    “I hate this!”

    Yozora drew his own sword, the blade glowing red like hot embers. He wasn’t happy, either, even if he wasn’t Riku’s biggest fan. But he and Riku had something in common—they didn’t like to see Sora hurt. The sooner they got this over with the better.

    He stepped through the door, Sora behind him. The door hissed shut, and low lights flickered on above them, revealing a thick jungle which filled the arena, creating a wall ten feet in front of them. Giant, fern-like trees pushed up against the ceiling, blocking out most of the light. The sounds of unknown beasts filled the air, growls and calls and snarls and howls. Yozora hoped that most were illusions like the forest itself or it would take significantly more than thirty minutes to reach Riku.

    After all, there was no guarantee Riku was being held at the opposite end of the arena, however far that was.

    Sora began to push through the barrier of ferns, keyblade held diagonally in front of him to push away any plants from his face. Yozora followed close, sword dragging through dirt and leaving slight scorch marks.

    After they’d lost sight of the door, Sora stepped up to the closest tree. He concentrated on a branch above his head for a moment, then Yozora watched as he dematerialized and appeared above, circling around a branch for a moment before dropping back to the ground. Though he had seen this power a handful of times, it never ceased to amaze Yozora. The ability to turn oneself into pure light energy…if _Sora_ had that power, Yozora was terrified to find out what Noctis and Luxu could do.

    “At least they’re solid.” Sora said to himself as he continued walking.

    The first beast—well, _beasts_ —appeared a handful of minutes later.

    Snarls from the bushes gave the pair enough of a heads up to brandish their swords before a trio of thin, fanged, black-striped rust-colored beasts pushed through the ferns. The apex of each vertebrae protruded upward like spines, the one at the beginning of the ribcage was the largest like a shark’s fin facing backward. Above the ribs were bony extensions forming the look of wings, and on the rump were patches of spines. Each had long, bony tails and feline paws. The inner claw of each front foot was enlarged like a talon, thick and sharp, ready to slice flesh.

    Yozora had never seen one of these in real life, but he’d heard of them, living out on the plains beyond Lucis.

    “Voretooth.”

    “That’s the dumbest name to call these things.” Sora said humorlessly.

    The voreteeth snarled at them, too-long lounges flicking in and out of their elongated snouts.

    “I didn’t come up with it.”

    The voreteeth launched forward, talons swinging and jaws snapping. Sora and Yozora dodged around either side of the trio. Yozora took out the legs of the one closest to him, then sliced through its tail for good measure. The beast roared, tried to step after him but failed, falling to the side with stumps wiggling in the air. Yozora took mercy and with a final swing sent its head rolling.

    Sora was equally successful in disabling his opponent, leaving it in a piled heap of scorched fur. This left one voretooth between the two of them. It snarled, not intelligent enough to run, and rushed them. Sora blasted it with an ice spell, freezing its paws to the ground. The beast howled in fury, but could do nothing except watch the pair walk away.

    “You killed one.” Sora said as they came to a stream.

    “Yeah. Didn’t you?” Yozora said carefully, remembering what Sora had gotten furious with him about yesterday.

    Did he really find death so repulsive?

    “No.” Was all Sora said, dipping the tip of his shoe toward the water and pressing down against the dirt underneath.

    No water ran over his shoe and when he lifted it, it came back dry.

    As annoying as it would be to encounter that same voretooth, Yozora didn’t want to fight with Sora again so he said nothing.

    They continued through the forest, pushing through to the next adversary.

    Considering how dire the circumstances with the vice had been, this was tame so far. It put Yozora on edge. He wasn’t even sure if they were headed in the right direction. Thankfully the battle with the voreteeth hadn’t thrown off his sense of direction, but Riku could be anywhere…

    A loud buzzing halted his train of thought. He and Sora pressed their backs together and searched between the trees for the source. It grew louder, from the left.

    “Should we hide?” Sora asked.

    “Why?”

    “Something I picked up from Prompto—scope out the enemy before diving in.”

    “Let’s do it.”

    Yozora took position behind ferns to the right, losing track of Sora in the process. A moment later, two gigantic, red and blue wasp-like creatures flew over the spot they’d just been standing. Yozora wasn’t a fan of normal wasps, and these sure were ugly as enlarged versions.

    But, rather than stop and search for himself and Sora, the wasps continued along through the woods. Perhaps they were just meandering rather than actively searching. That was good—it meant their enemies didn’t know _they_ had enemies.

    When the buzzing was nearly too faint to hear, Yozora returned to where he’d last seen Sora. He hadn’t come out of hiding yet, so Yozora called for him. Brown hair popped out of the ferns, running toward him, then Sora appeared, glaring at him.

    “Shut up! You’ll draw whatever else is out there to us.” He snapped.

    “If you stuck by I wouldn’t have to yell.” Yozora snipped back.

    Damnit, so much for not fighting.

    Sora pouted at him, but said no more and began stomping through ferns again. Yozora followed. It didn’t take long for them to come across more voreteeth, or to incapacitate them, or move on. The wasps ended up flying past, so they took those out too.

    Then, Noctis’ voice rang out over the intercom again with a fifteen minute warning. Yozora and Sora ran through the jungle until they reached a wall at its center. This one had no door, which at least meant they hadn’t circled around.

    Sora didn’t find that information reassuring, and began relentlessly beating the wall with his keyblade. Yozora grabbed his shoulder after the fourth swing.

    “Save your strength, Sora. We’re wasting time.”

    Sora let the tip of the keyblade fall to the floor. “I know. I just wish Noctis would _listen_. This isn’t going to work, but he didn’t even _ask_!”

    That reminded Yozora of the task they’d given themselves earlier. They needed to find a different way for Sora to return home, one that didn’t involve unlocking Eos’ heart or harming Riku. Maybe they could start now.

    “Sora, your hearts are connected, aren’t they? Why don’t you use it to locate him?” Yozora suggested, trying his best to remember the discussion of heart magic the couple had shared with him last night.

    Sora turned back to face the jungle, lifted his keyblade to the ceiling, and closed his eyes. His brow furrowed with concentration, and the tip of his keyblade glowed a soft orange. It was strange, watching this unusual magic in person. Yozora envied Prompto for a moment, wishing he’d been Sora’s general instead so he could have witnessed more of it.

    “Got him.” Sora said, lowering his keyblade and racing off into the trees.

    Yozora followed, and within minutes they came up upon a scene that made his heart sink. No way would they beat this thing in ten minutes! And free Riku on top of that? Noctis had set them up to fail.

    The illusionary jungle had been cleared in this part of the arena to create a hundred-yard diameter circle. In the center was a pile of boulders reaching at least thirty feet high, and in their center sat a metal cage just large enough for its prisoner to have standing room. Not that Riku was standing, instead slumped against one side and glaring out at the trees. Well, he probably wasn’t glaring, but that’s the only expression he’d ever given Yozora, so Yozora couldn’t imagine his face doing anything else.

    Guarding the pile was what Yozora could only describe as a _dragon_ , yet another beast he’d only heard stories of. The creature was half as large as the boulder pile, covered in a thin layer of blue feathers over blue scales. Each finger bone of the bat-like wings was deep crimson, matching the horns and spines. Its claws were a foot long, more blunt than sharp. One swipe would mean the end for Yozora and Sora.

    “You go after Riku. I’ll distract the dragon.” Yozora said.

    “Right.” Sora acknowledged, then ran along the treeline to remain hidden from the dragon and sneak behind it.

    Yozora walked out into the clearing and charged toward the boulders. The dragon let out a fearsome roar and raced after him, spitting flames. Yozora hopped up to the second boulder and flipped backward, past the dragon’s chest and swinging his sword. A deep red gash appeared amoung the scales. The dragon shrieked in pain and lunged after Yozora, who had continued to run in the opposite direction of where Sora was beginning his ascent.

    As Yozora leaped up on the boulders to strike once again, he caught sight of the windows of the observation deck. He knew Noctis was watching, enjoying Sora’s suffering as the pieces of his plans came together.

    Yozora wished Riku had never come here, so Sora would never have changed and he would never have found out what nightmares truly controlled his home.

~

    “Where are you?”

    “Sorry, sorry! Prompto showed up and he’s got her and I kinda got distracted helping him—.”

    Immediately with the rambling. Ew.

    “Ugh, shut up! Save your sob story for Lauriam. I don’t care, I was just told to check.”

    There was a beat of silence—they both knew she cared, but neither were going to call out the lie. The phone shuffled, and she imagined her brother shifting the device to his other ear.

    “How’s Sora?”

    “They sent him to the first test.”

    “Shit.”

    “Yeah. Lauriam’s fairly sure he’ll make it through this one, but it’ll further the Master’s plans.”

    “Not good.”

    “No. That’s why you need to get your ass over here.”

    “Alright! I’ll head over. Luxu should be here soon, anyway. El, you should really come meet this lady, she’s totally your type.”

    “Priorities, _dummy_.”

    “Yeah, yeah. See ya later.”

    “Hope not.”

    Elrena hung up, sliding the phone into the inside pocket of her blue jacket. She shook her head with a smirk. That idiot never changed.

~

    _“Five minutes_ _left.”_

    “Sora, hurry up!”

    “I don’t _get it_!”

    “Just blast it!”

    “Sora.”

    A hand landed on his over the handle of his keyblade. Sora looked over at Riku who had pressed up against the side of the bars so he could watch Sora work on the lock.

    Five minutes had passed since he and Yozora had arrived, and nothing had been accomplished. The keyblade wasn’t any use. As far as Sora could tell, all this thing was was a stupid metal lock!

    “Huh?” Sora grunted as he yanked on the lock.

    “Noctis needs you to tap into your heart magic, remember? I don’t think normal ways are going to work.”

    Sora dismissed his keyblade in favor of holding on to Riku’s hand. He remembered Yozora’s words from earlier, of the connection between his and Riku’s hearts. What if he could connect their hearts and pull Riku out of the cage? He closed his eyes and placed his attention on his heart.

    But the roars and shouts of battle a few boulders below was distracting.

    “I can’t focus!”

    Riku spoke measuredly, trying to help, “Think of the three of us, me, you, and Kairi on the beach. We’re safe, building sandcastles and wrestling. We’re even fixing up our old raft, and you’ve brought your pirate hat from Jack’s world that you keep telling me about. I’m standing above you, passing you rope from the crows’ nest…”

    Riku’s voice faded into background noise as Sora finally tapped into their hearts. In his mind’s eye he saw Riku above him, holding onto that thin piece of wood that made up the mast of their shoddy raft. He passed Sora a length of red rope, and Sora began to pull on it so he could loop it around a post on the platform of the raft. For such a thin yarn it was strong, not snapping as it was pulled tight between himself and Riku. Sora tried to tug the rope again, but Riku refused to let go of it or the mast. Sora pulled and pulled, but Riku would not yield.

    “Let go!” Sora barked, frustrated.

    What was wrong? What was between them that prevented Riku from letting go of the mast?

    Riku’s face twisted into a hateful smirk, eyes glowing gold.

    Sora was roughly returned to the present, eyes flying open and breaths coming in sharp gasps. Riku’s hand still gripped his, but now from the right side of the bars. For a moment they just stared, shocked that something so simple had worked, especially when Sora was convinced it shouldn’t have. He took an extra moment to remind himself Riku’s eyes were and always had been teal.

    An earsplitting screech broke through, and both men turned to see the dragon fall to its side. Yozora landed on his feet beside its eviscerated stomach, red-hot sword held to the side as he regained his balance and admired his work.

    Sora’s stomach clenched. That creature didn’t deserve to _die_. Not for this.

    With Riku on his heels, Sora barreled down the boulder pile and raced over to the beast’s belly. He placed his hands on either side of the center of the gash, willing his curaga to close the wound even though he knew he didn’t have that kind of strength. Riku stood beside him, face pinched in concentration.

    Yozora’s bloody hand fell on Sora’s wrist. “What are you doing?”

    “It doesn’t deserve to die for some stupid _game_!” Sora yelled.

    “Would you have preferred I let it kill you instead of distract it?” Yozora snapped back, but Sora didn’t think ending its life constituted _distraction_.

    Yozora tried to pull Sora’s arm away, so he shouldered Yozora’s chest.

    “Let go of me!”

    “Save your strength!”

    Suddenly they were both shoved back, then a moment later Sora was released. He returned to the beast with both hands and closed his eyes. He could feel its labored breath, and wished he were a better healer. If only Donald were here!

    Behind him he heard Riku and Yozora shouting, but there wasn’t time for that. This animal was dying.

    The intercom broke the chaos, _“Time’s up. Congratulations, Sora. You’ve made great strides today.”_

    The dragon took its last breath and fell still, making the following silence all the more deafening.

    Sora felt clammy, shaky, ill. This creature had only been doing what it had been asked, nothing more or less. It didn’t choose to be trapped in this building, it didn’t choose to guard Riku, it didn’t choose to die!

    Gentle hands pulled his from red-stained scales, slowly turning his body from the dragon until he was tucked against a solid chest. Sora clung to the front of Riku’s shirt as he was wrapped in a hug.

    “It’s not your fault.” Riku reminded him in a whisper.

    “No,” Sora agreed, “It’s not.”

    Sora glared up at the observation windows he’d noticed as he’d climbed the boulders. For a moment he thought he saw a flash of gold glaring back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay here's the deal: I hate this chapter. It took me weeks to write and I'm not going to spend anymore brain power on it. 
> 
> For those of you asking why Riku wasn't fighting back or healing the dragon or whatever, sure, Noctis took away his magic. Whatever excuse you want to come up with, I don't care. I'm not trying to do a disservice to Riku's abilities as a magician/keyblade master/whatever. The dragon died for a REASON and if you're looking for a frilly fic where everyone is happy and nobody dies you're in the wrong place. This fic is already less dark than I want it to be. 
> 
> I am glad you guys enjoyed the role reversal! Something I'm trying to emphasize in this fic is Sora's ability to be his own person, un-reliant on others. It's a lesson he needs to learn (especially after kh3), and needs to be in fics more often.
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter is more satisfactory for everyone. I know I'm enjoying it.
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf


	15. I Play My Sitar

    The three of them had been allowed to clean up afterward, in turns with two guards monitoring the pair in the hall while one showered. Riku found it highly suspicious that they were being guarded. It contradicted their theory that Noctis could track them on his own—it meant Noctis was expecting an escape attempt. Had Lauriam told him? Or perhaps Xigbar. Either way, Riku was sure they’d been betrayed.

    Neither Lauriam nor Noctis had come to greet them after the test, and the guards had unceremoniously dumped them back in Sora’s room. Riku listened to the activity in the hall for a while, crouched on the floor with his ear pressed to the door, while Sora stood by the closet and complained that he’d been forced to change into a pair of black jeans.

    “I have like, ten pairs of shorts by now, there can’t only be jeans! There’s gotta be _two_ pairs of jeans in this closet.”

    Sora had yet to actually find any shorts. He pointed frantically at Riku’s own jeans-clad legs.

    “You shouldn’t even be able to fit into those!”

    Riku stuck his tongue out. It had been a tight fit—the jeans _were_ intended for Sora—but Sora didn’t need to know his struggle.

    “Jeans or not, that’s a good look for you.”

    Sora narrowed his eyes. Riku focused on the shuffling of the guards’ feet. Rather than accept the compliment, Sora came over and kicked at Riku’s foot.

    “I’m dressed exactly like you! Don’t think I missed that.”

    Riku chuckled, “Your hoodie’s blue not grey, that’s not _exact_.”

    Sora huffed, “Close enough.”

    “You could switch to converse instead of those yellow balloons.”

    “Yellow’s your favourite color.”

    “But your shoes are twice the size of your feet.”

    “Are not!”

    “Would you two _shut up?_ ” Yozora snapped from where he stood by the windows.

    Both Riku and Sora sobered up. Their bickering had been a momentary distraction, but his mere presence reminded them of their reality. A reality where Sora had witnessed a magnificent creature die not an hour ago and to forget was yelling about pants. At this point it was easy for Riku to hate Yozora. Riku couldn’t imagine Sora had seen much of genuine death—rebirths couldn’t really count. He wasn’t sure how Sora would hold up once the charade fell away.

    Sora frowned at Riku. “How long do you think we have ‘til dinner? I’m starving.”

    Riku knew Sora wasn’t asking about dinner, and was thankful he’d caught on that the guards were still around.

    “Hopefully not too long.”

    “Ugh.” Sora turned to flop on the bed to accentuate his starvation, and Riku looked up to watch.

    They both froze.

    Someone in an Organization coat, hood up, was seated on the bed with their back to the door. Riku shot a glance at Yozora, who remained casual by the windows. Catching his eye, Yozora shrugged. It was clear the two had been waiting for Sora and Riku to notice.

    The person in the hood turned at the sudden silence, and before Sora or Riku could demand who they were, they jumped to their feet and laughed.

    “Took you guys long enough!” A melodic voice spoke.

    Sora’s jaw dropped.

    “ _Demyx_?!”

    “Hey, you remembered me! Aww!” The man gave his own chest a hug.

    “ _You’re_ the one Luxu and Lauriam have been talking about?” Sora asked, stepping around the bed.

    “That’s right, I’m your knight in shining armor!”

    Riku got to his feet and walked away from the door to stand beside Sora.

    “Keep it down, the guards are still there.” He hissed at Demyx, “Speaking of, how did you get in here?”

    “I’ll explain once we get outta here.” Demyx waved a dismissive hand.

    Riku wasn’t thrilled by his cavalier attitude.

    Sora looked at Riku to see what he thought of going with Demyx. The fact that Sora had been in Eos for so much time yet hadn’t even _known_ that Demyx was here—similar to Ava and their friends in North Shibuya—meant the ex-Nobody was a well-kept secret. So well kept, that Sora and Riku might truly be safe with him. It was probably in their best interest to go with him. Riku gave Sora a slight nod.

    Demyx didn’t seem to mind—or even notice—the assessment of him and summoned a dark portal in front of one of the windows.

    “Where are you taking us?” Riku demanded, not wanting to walk in blind.

    He still didn’t trust Xigbar, and though Demyx didn’t appear threatening Riku wasn’t ready to put anything past him.

    Neither he nor Sora moved, but Yozora stepped up to the portal and examined it.

    “Again, I’ll explain. But we kinda gotta go. I’ve already been here too long—this place gives me the heebie jeebies.”

    “Is that why you have your hood up?” Sora asked.

    “Wha—oh. No. That’s so they won’t know I’m here.”

        Riku was curious to see what Demyx looked like—Sora had only ever talked about how his goofy personality concealed his powerful water magic. Riku didn’t believe it could be _that_ simple to hide from Noctis. But at least Demyx had told them _something_.

     “Quit wasting time and let’s _go_.” Yozora snapped, glaring at Riku as though it were his fault they were still there.

    His expression softened when his gaze fell on Sora. An understanding passed between the two, then Sora nodded. Yozora’s demeanor hardened, and he didn’t look away from Sora for a long moment before he stepped through. Sora followed, Riku not two steps behind with Demyx bringing up the rear. What had he just witnessed?

    The swirling and purple blues lit the pathway to the other side. The image of a dimly lit room with couches and house plants awaited at the end of the portal. Once inside it became clear they were in a single-floor apartment.

    The floor had a massive living room with three grey couches around a glass coffee table. The outer wall was made entirely of windows. Set two steps above the living room, opposite the windows, was a kitchen and dining room with black granite counters and flooring. All of the accent pieces were made of pine wood, including the dining table and chairs which gave the space a splash of warmth in the dark.

    There was a hallway opposite the door they’d come through. Riku imagined that it lead to bedrooms and bathrooms like some kind of miniature palace.

    Not the hideout Riku had imagined, considering the living conditions he’d seen in North Shibuya. But he wasn’t about to complain.

    “Ah, home sweet home.” Demyx cooed, causing Riku and Sora to turn and watch him throw his arms toward the ceiling and finally flip off his hood to reveal a ridiculously cool rocker mullet.

    “Woa, nice hair.” Yozora commented, having turned like the other two to watch Demyx rejoice.

    Demyx gave him double finger guns, “Thanks, man! Lots of time goes into this baby.”

    He proceeded to run the palms over both hands along his undercut.

    Riku huffed impatiently. “So, answers?”

    “Alright, alright! Gimme a sec to get some snacks. And make yourselves cozy! We’re gonna wait here for a while until Xiggy comes back.”

    “Luxu’s coming?” Sora asked, tensing beside Riku.

    “Look, I know he’s an asshole but you guys gotta trust him. He knows what he’s doing.” Demyx said.

    He shed his coat and meandered into the kitchen, folding the pile of cloth over a chair. His clothes were simple, a black tank over black pants.

    Yozora went over to the windows to look out over the city.

    “That doesn’t make me feel better.” Sora grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the back of Demyx’s head.

    Riku nudged Sora, “Let’s see where we are.”

    They joined Yozora at the window, Sora between the look-alikes. Yozora knew most of the buildings within their ten-story view of Shibuya and pointed them out, but there were some whose purpose he and Sora guessed at. Riku kept quiet, choosing to absorb information rather than contribute.

    Demyx joined them with four mugs of hot tea ten minutes later, shoving in between Sora and Yozora.

    “Water takes forever to heat up without Axel.” He commented as he passed out the drinks.

    “Who’s Axel?” Yozora asked at the same time Sora agreed, “It takes thirty seconds with him!”

    “Oh, Ax is a buddy back home.” Demyx told Yozora, “He’s a fire mage.”

    “Was he an Organization member like you?” Yozora asked.

    “Yup! Man, I’m so glad these guys did the explaining for me.” Demyx ruffled Sora’s hair.

    Riku glared at Demyx, “Speaking of explaining, mind telling us what’s going on?”

    Demyx gave him an exasperated look. “Yeah, okay. I’m gonna sit down, though.”

    The group gathered on the couches, Demyx and Yozora each claiming their own while Sora sat beside Riku on the center couch facing the windows.

    “Where do I even start?” Demyx crossed a leg over his knee, “Let’s see…the Organization coats help conceal from Darkness, which is why the Master can’t find me in the castle. That’s how I got in. Then, Xig is planning to get us all back to the Realm of Light without the Master, so he had me bring you here to get you away from the Master. Oh! I know. Xig told me the reality of everything a while ago. You guys probably want to know.”

    “We know some of it.” Sora said as Demyx paused to sip his tea, “We know that Luxu wants power, and the Master studies heart and light magic. They say they need me and my feelings for Riku to reconnect Eos with the Realm of Light, and they think trying to kill Riku will trigger my ability to reconnect. Except, they’re wrong. I’m in love with my other friend, Kairi, and I’ve never connected a world that way.”

    Riku’s breath caught and he narrowly avoided choking on his own tea. Sora really wasn’t going to be subtle about Kairi anymore, was he?

    “Woa, woa, woa! Wait just a second, you can’t be serious? You’re saying we’ve got the entirely wrong person?” Demyx gasped.

    He set his tea down on a coaster on the table and gaped at Sora. On the opposite couch, Riku sensed Yozora shifting and turned to gauge his reaction. Yozora’s eyes were narrowed in puzzlement, but he wasn’t looking at Sora. He tilted his head at Riku to further indicate confusion, so Riku just slightly shook his head. He knew what Yozora wanted to ask, though.

    Interesting that Yozora thought Sora loved Riku, too. From their interactions so far, Riku couldn’t guess how Yozora might have come to that conclusion. What had Sora said to Yozora during the year plus he’d been here? Or even in moments when Riku had been separated from him, like the test today?

    “Yeah, and Kairi’s not on her way. We’re going to need some other way to get home. Something that doesn’t involve trying to kill my best friend.”

    “Well…Xiggy’s got another idea that might work even though you’re just friends. However we do it, we have to make sure that the Master doesn’t come home with us. Xig said he’ll destroy the Realm of Light if he gets back to it.”

    Riku had no doubts that Xigbar had more plans for the Realm of Light than leaving the Master behind in Eos. Either Demyx wasn’t sharing that fact with them, or Xigbar hadn’t shared that fact with Demyx. He leaned forward, placing a hand next to Sora’s leg so he could level Demyx with a sour stare.

    “If Xigbar expects us to trust him now, we need to know what he plans to do once we get home. I was told he’s more power-hungry than the Master.”

    Demyx’s confused expression gave Riku his answer.

    “He just wants to go home, like the rest of us.”

    “How confident are you that he’s not lying to you?” Yozora chimed in.

    “You guys aren’t giving him enough credit—Xiggy’s not that bad a guy!” Demyx defended.

    The trio gave him disbelieving stares.

    “We really do need the love between you two to get back! Does it really matter that the first way he tried was violent, if we get home in the long run?”

    “Yeah, it does matter.” Sora snapped, “I’ll keep us all trapped here until we find a way that doesn’t involve putting Riku at risk.”

    “Or _you_ , dummy.” Riku added, poking Sora’s thigh since his finger was there.

    Sora shrugged.

    Demyx scrutinized them, “Are you sure you’re not dating?”

    Riku rolled his eyes as Sora launched into an explanation of why they _absolutely were not_ and how he’d been in love with Kairi since third grade. Yozora gave Riku that subtly puzzled look again, and after a few minutes with no sign of an end Riku excused himself to the bathroom.

    The small room was as lush as the rest of the house, with the same granite and wood theme of the kitchen. It was as good a place as any to hide for a while and wish he and Sora could just be home already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals in three weeks...then I can finally start kicking ass on this fic again! I can't wait, the ending is starting to formulate and it should be a blast. I'm thinking about getting Van in here, too...keep an eye out for hints of Mr. Darkness TM.
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf


	16. Some Kind Of Wonderful

    Demyx accepted Sora’s lies after the third time he talked about how soft Kairi’s hair was. Riku had yet to reappear from the bathroom, but Sora didn’t want to contradict himself and voice his concern. The conversation instead meandered onto the topic of clothes, and Sora requested to go find some shorts while they waited for Luxu. Demyx refused to let him go outside in case he was spotted—Sora found that a bit silly, considering how much of a ghost town Shibuya was—instead offering to go in his place.

    Demyx left with his coat and the promise to be quick. As the door closed, Sora realized he was alone with Yozora again. Yozora had been fairly quiet during the word-vomit about how much Sora worshiped the ground Kairi walked on—which Sora most certainly did, _platonically_ —and now he was eyeing Sora with outright bafflement. Sora wasn’t too surprised. Yozora was almost guaranteed to know how he felt about Riku after everything that had happened yesterday. Sora just hoped Yozora really had been asleep during his and Riku’s late night conversation. He’d said things only meant for his best friend.

    “Sora. Don’t you think it would be more helpful at this point for them to know the truth rather than keep lying?”

    Okay, yeah, Yozora totally knew.

    “I don’t know.” Sora sipped at his finally cool-enough-to-drink tea.

    “There may be platonic solutions, but if romantic love really is your light’s strongest power, being truthful could help us find a real way to get you all home _and_ protect Eos.”

    Yozora had a point, but Sora was determined to protect Riku after failing so many times in a row.

    “Maybe we can come up with one on our own.”

    Yozora sighed but gave in, “Well, connecting your hearts worked to get him out of the cage. Maybe there’s a way to do that in a romantic context?”

    “True love’s first kiss?”

    “This isn’t a Disney story.”

    “A what?”

    “Nevermind, just something my mom read to me when I was little. What else could you do?”

    “Um…?”

    They both thought for a moment. What else did people do while in love that helped their hearts connect? Physical stuff was all Sora could think of—stupid brain—which wasn’t going to help if Riku wasn’t comfortable with any of that yet. They hadn’t even _actually_ said they loved each other that way. Sora wanted to do that before crossing any new physical boundaries.

    “An act.” Yozora said suddenly.

    The blush rose before he could stop it. “A… _what_?!”

    “An act of true love.” Yozora clarified, raising an eyebrow, “I remember stories where one character made some kind of sacrifice for another, and something good would happen. Heart magic seems like the kind that would use that kind of act.”

    Sora relaxed. He’d seen those kinds of acts traveling worlds. They were always meaningful, always powerful, and far more appropriate than what he’d been thinking.

    “That’s a good idea. And we could share it with the others since those can be platonic.”

    Yozora nodded. There was a pause, then he suggested,

    “I think you should go tell Riku. He’ll probably appreciate being in on the idea.”

    Sora wished he’d thought of that first. But, if anything Yozora was proving that he was still Sora’s friend just as he had in the arena by fighting with him—though the death of the dragon still weighted heavily in the back of Sora’s mind. Still, the more support he and Riku had the better.

    Sora set down his tea and took off into hall. He followed the directions Demyx had given Riku to the bathroom, but when he found it, it was empty. The hall had five other rooms so Sora opened each door to check, squinting since each room had no lights on. Three were bedrooms with king sized beds and massive closets, one was a second bathroom, and the third was a second living room. This one was small and was packed with technology rather than plants. Portrait-sized flat screen monitors hung on three of four walls and there were at least six desks with computers on them, wires tangling in thick black knots on the floor.

    A single lounge chair sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window that made up the far wall. Riku’s silver hair shone in the glow of the city lights stories below, and for a moment Sora thought he was looking at a ghost. The whirlwind of the past three days and Riku’s presence itself had helped chase away how much he’d missed Riku. But now it hit Sora once again, cinching his chest and closing his throat. Riku was _really here_. He’d really come after Sora, this wasn’t a nightmare where Riku would turn around and one of his eyes would be red, or both gold.

    Sora crossed the room at the speed of light and dropped onto the chair, halfway on Riku and halfway off.

    Riku made a ridiculous sound in surprise as the air was forced out of his lungs, making Sora giggle as he got himself settled properly with arms crossed over his chest and head leaned on Riku’s shoulder. He observed the sprawl of Shibuya from this different side of the skyscraper as Riku adjusted to Sora’s weight. They must’ve been in an older part of the nation, since their thirteen-story building towered over most of the others.

    “Sorry I left.” Riku murmured, freeing his arm from behind Sora to relocate it over his shoulders.

    He leaned his other elbow on the arm of the chair to prop up his head, fingers weaving through his own hair.

    Sora shook his head, “It’s fine. I’m sure you’re tired.”

    Riku sighed, “I wish it were that simple.”

    “What do you mean?”

    Sora looked up to find Riku staring forlornly out the window…why would Riku be sad? They’d just escaped Noctis, that wasn’t something to be unhappy about. Their relationship was on the cusp of something new and exciting, and that shouldn’t be making Riku upset.

    Unless…had Sora misread everything?

    His heart became too heavy for his chest.

    Did Riku only care about him platonically, and just didn’t mind Sora’s tendency to be physically clingy? Maybe he was worried because he was going to have to tell Sora he didn’t feel the same and thought Sora would be upset. But Sora didn’t want things to change between them, especially over something so simple. He’d gone this far in life without returned feelings, he could live without them. He couldn’t live without Riku.

    “What?” Sora murmured, prompting Riku again.

    He needed to know.

    Riku shook his head, “Nothing.”

    Sora reached out and twisted his hand in the loose fabric at bottom of Riku’s hoodie. He didn’t like being lied to by Riku, particularly when Sora _knew_ something was bothering him. Riku didn’t need to be strong _all_ the time. Sora wished he could just _say_ that like the way Riku always bluntly encouraged him. But it wasn’t as easy as Riku made it seem.

    “Riku.” Sora tried again.

    “Sora…”

    “What’s wrong?”

    Riku looked down at Sora’s hand, sad expression deepening. Sora wished he could kiss it away, so to distract himself from that desire he looked out at the city.

    “What was it like?” Riku whispered after a few moments.

    “What was what like?”

    Whatever was on Riku’s mind, they would work out. Everything would work out. It always did.

    “Sharing the paopu with Kairi.”

    It had happened so long ago for Sora that it was difficult to recall at first. Mostly he remembered feeling gratified that she still wanted to be a part of his life even though they’d grown apart the past few years. She was still one of his best friends—half of his heart. The fruit itself hadn’t done anything magical. It tasted a bit too sweet for Sora’s liking, but it hadn’t been gross. He shared this with Riku, who scoffed.

    “No, not the taste. I meant the experience. You’ve been waiting for it for such a long time…”

    Sora shrugged, “I mean, I’ve always wanted to try one with someone who mattered to me. Nothing magical happened, though, but I do remember thinking how nice it was that Kairi cared about me so much.”

    There was a beat, then Riku said in a resigned tone, “She misses you.”

    The ghost that haunted him rose again, so Sora pressed each point of contact with Riku to be closer. Sora looked up at him, admiring the glow of the lights on his pale skin. Forget the city. Sora much preferred this view. Though it would be better if Riku were happy.

    “I miss her, too.” Sora mumbled, a little breathless.

    How could he turn this conversation from Kairi? It reminded Sora of how Riku had been acting right before Darkness took the Destiny Islands…Sora didn’t like the way that thought made his stomach twist. Maybe Riku really didn’t love Sora after all.

    “Are you jealous?” He asked, adding when Riku glanced at him sharply like a kid caught with their hand in a cookie jar, “’Cause I’m sure she’d share one with you if you asked.”

    But Riku shook his head, “No, that’s not…what I want.”

    He didn’t want Kairi. Okay…so why had he asked about the fruit? Was there someone else he wanted to share it with? Surely Riku would’ve _told_ Sora if he liked someone that way. Then again, Riku had never talked about liking anyone other than aggressively competing with Sora for Kairi’s attention as kids—and Riku had just debunked that he liked Kairi which was Sora’s only guess, anyway. He didn’t know of anyone else Riku had spent enough time around to develop feelings for. Maybe…was Riku just not into people romantically? If so, he was probably more uncomfortable learning how Sora felt about him than Sora was beginning to realize.

    It was time to figure out where they stood. No more guessing games and assumptions.

    Sora took a steadying breath, then asked, “It doesn’t bother you that I love you, right?”

    Riku’s head shot up, surprised gaze meeting Sora’s worried one. Sora could’ve sworn the color drained from Riku’s face, materializing the ghost.

    “What?”

    “I want to make sure you’re not upset that I love you romantically, especially since my feelings put you in danger.” Sora repeated gently, feeling his heart pound in his chest.

    Riku shifted under him, turning so he could somewhat face Sora. The movement jarred Sora’s mind to the fact that he was admitting this while pressed up against the person of his affections. Whoops.

    Riku’s expression was something Sora had never seen before. Confusion? Hope? Excitement? _Lust_? A mixture of all four?

    “I thought…what about Kairi?”

    “Kairi…? That’s just to trick Noctis. I thought you knew that?”

    “I didn’t think it was a trick.”

    Suddenly, Riku’s unyielding grip on the mast of their raft made sense. _Of course_ Riku thought Sora still liked Kairi. Every one of their friends back home did. Sora wasn’t even sure _why_ , considering the Organization members saw right through him. If he was that obvious, surely the others just weren’t paying enough attention.

    “You thought I still like her?”

    “Well…yeah.”

    “I mean, I used to like her a few years ago. But I don’t think of her that way anymore. I’m not surprised you think I still like her, though. Most people think that, especially Donald, but” Sora looked down at his lap because Riku’s face was _so close_ , “Luxu figured it out, he must have noticed things everyone else hasn’t. I’ve never actually told anyone except Kairi. And now you.”

    “Kairi knows?” Riku reiterated.

    Here he was pouring out his heart, and Riku wanted to focus on Kairi? Sora was fed up.

    “ _Yes_ , but let’s quit talking about her! I’m trying to talk about _you_.”

    Riku’s responding smile was like the sun peeking out of a cloudy sky. His hand fell from the arm of the chair to hold Sora’s over his shirt. He pulled until Sora let go, then wove their fingers together.

    “Okay.”

    “Okay.”

    Except it wasn’t okay, because Sora still didn’t _know_ _know_ how Riku felt. He didn’t seem upset anymore, and if his body language was anything to go by there was a high chance Sora had been right in the first place. Riku did love him. _But_. Sora needed to hear it aloud. Just to make sure. And maybe Sora was more self-indulgent than he liked to pretend.

    “So, are you mad?”

    Riku’s smile became teasing, and he lifted their joined hands between them, pressing them to the fabric over his own heart. The back of Sora’s hand became warm and he could feel the light, fast-paced thump of Riku’s heart. He couldn’t help but smile, too.

    “Of course not. I love you too, Sora.”

    Sora shook his hand loose of Riku’s to wrap his arm around Riku’s waist and hide his face under Riku’s chin. Riku’s own arm went around Sora, tugging on the material of his hoodie to pull him closer. Sora dropped his forehead on Riku’s collarbone, and Riku rested his head atop Sora’s.

    The feeling of being so wrapped up with Riku sent little tickles of warmth straight to Sora’s heart, amplified by the slow-to-settle understanding that Riku _loved_ him.

    “Sorry for misunderstanding.” Riku murmured.

    “It’s okay, I get that it was confusing.”

    “Well…it wasn’t, not really. I kinda…but…” Riku sighed, “I’m just stubborn.”

    Sora smiled at that. What had clued Riku in that he’d chosen to ignore? Sora had been a bit cavalier in the bathroom yesterday morning, teasing Riku about his arms. But then _Riku_ had made that comment about dreams…And the cuddling! Stubbornness certainly explained the veil over Riku’s eyes when it came to that.

    Sora had always been physically close with his two best friends, but since Riku had come to Eos Sora had loathed every second he couldn’t touch Riku. Sure, part of that was to remind himself that Riku was actually here and he wasn’t about to wake up on that awful cot again, but he also wanted to _touch_ Riku.

    Speaking of....

    “Riku, can I...?” Sora whispered, leaning back so he could look up at his friend.

    Riku craned his neck to look down at Sora. He hummed his consent, not needing to ask what Sora wanted. They leaned forward, lids shut over pupils blown wide. Riku’s breath hitched as their lips met and Sora felt chills chase every nerve in his body.

    Though he had no basis for comparison Sora was sure that no other first kiss could’ve been so satisfying. The pressure of Riku’s lips against his own and the curl of Riku’s fingers into his hoodie set Sora’s blood on _fire_. Any lingering doubts fell away like crumbling bits of a cliff leaving only certain, solid ground for them to stand on. Sora and Riku weren’t meant to be apart, and they didn’t need a juicy yellow fruit to secure that fate.

    Something warm and wet fell on Sora’s cheek, leaving a cold feeling as air brushed it away. With a sharp breath of surprise, the kiss ended. Sora leaned back and drank in the sight of Riku looking so… _happy_. His smile was so genuine, and to top it off he was trying his best to wipe tears from his eyes. Sora hadn’t seen Riku _cry_ in forever—he’d really only teared up the other day compared to this.

    “S-sorry.” Riku said, breath shuddering, “I’m just…”

    “Happy.” Sora finished for him, leaning forward once again so their foreheads were pressed together.

    He wormed his arm from around Riku to cup his face instead, breaking Riku’s rhythm of wiping at his eyes. The tears pooled and spilled over as Riku’s hand met his and held on. Riku’s other hand played with the hair at the back of Sora’s neck.

    His eyes shone so beautifully…

    “Happy you’re _alive_.” Riku added.

    Sora couldn’t help but laugh with the bubble of joy in his chest. He was happy about that, too.

    “I’ll prove it to you.”

    “Please?”

    This kiss was similarly short and sweet, yet no less a match dropped on fresh kindling. Sora could get addicted to that feeling so, _so_ easily.

    Riku took the hand from his face and wove his fingers with Sora’s.

    “Can I tell you something?” Riku asked, dropping his gaze to their hands.

    “Of course, Riku.” Sora promised, brushing their noses together.

    Riku smiled, though his words were anything but happy.

    “I…I lost faith after Kairi came back alone. For a few days I thought you were _dead_ ,” Riku’s inhale was shaky, “and all purpose I’d ever had was just…gone. I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself without you.”

    Sora hated the image that put in his mind. Of Riku wasting away without him, becoming frail or ill or simply uninterested in anything he’d cared about before. Sora couldn’t see it happening. Even if they’d been separated longer, Sora had faith Riku wouldn’t have lost himself as permanently as he seemed to think. Riku was too motivated for that.

    “I want you to know you’re not the only one who gets scared, who doubts themselves and everything they know. But you’re as strong as any of us. Don’t forget it.”

    There he went with that blunt insight. Sora was glad for it, though, because Riku was finally admitting what he had hoped to hear—Riku wasn’t as strong as he pretended to be. And that was okay.

    “I’m proud of you.” Sora murmured, allowing himself to be as direct.

    It was important for Riku to hear that, after everything they’d been through since they were kids. Even though saying it made Sora’s heart trip in his chest.

    Riku sniffed, “Shut up. You’re gonna make me cry again.”

    “Now you know how I feel.” Sora teased, sure Riku could see his own eyes were wet.

    They laughed, followed by comfortable silence. Sora finished wiping Riku’s tears away, then simply allowed his thumbs to trace the bones of Riku’s flushed cheeks. Skin and bone were so opposite one another, yet permanently connected. This particular skin and these particular bones created Riku, the sharp cast of his jaw as he aged, no longer baby faced and round like Sora. Or at least, how Sora felt. He’d never be as handsome as Riku. Riku, whose eyes had nearly slipped shut as Sora’s touch relaxed him. Sora wondered where else he could relax Riku…

    His hands fell to cup Riku’s jaw, and they came together for another kiss. When they broke apart, Riku blinked heavily as though waking from sleep before he asked,

    “Why did you come find me, anyway? Is Xigbar here?”

    Leave it to Riku to remember their situation immediately after such an emotional conversation. And their first kisses because _wow_ Sora was not over that yet. Probably never would be.

    “Um, Yozora said something about telling you…ah! Right. We came up with a thing!”

    Riku leveled him with an exasperated look.

    “A thing.” He repeated dryly.

    “Yeah. To get home.” Sora smiled apologetically for being so vague.

    “Something other than reconnection?”

    “An act.”

    “Sora please be more specific.” Riku said in a rush, eyes wide.

    Ha! Sora’s mind wasn’t the only one going places it shouldn’t.

    “An act of true love. Those are powerful, I’ve seen a few myself. And they can be platonic so we can keep pretending we’re just friends.”

    Riku frowned, brows drawn together as he thought through the idea.

    “What if I don’t want to keep pretending? What if I’m tired of that?”

    Sora wasn’t sure…He wanted to keep their façade so Riku could be safe, but after the first test Noctis had put them through, it made sense to doubt that pretending was going to keep Riku safe. And Yozora had a good point about how being honest may help them come up with more accurate solutions…He voiced this all to Riku.

    “Sounds like dropping the act is our best option.” Riku insisted.

    “Ugh, fine. I guess I’ll have to protect you some other way.” Sora sassed, as if protecting Riku was a chore.

    Riku stuck his tongue out at him, “Not if I protect you first.”

    Sora fake-gasped, “You wouldn’t dare.”

    They giggled, then Sora rested his forehead on Riku’s collarbone so they could properly cuddle up once again.

    “Did you want to wait with Yozora?” Sora asked after a while.

    Riku scoffed, “Xigbar himself is going to have to come in here and pry you from my arms before I move.”

    Sora snorted with laughter, “I’d like to see that.”

    Riku slowly shook his head in mock seriousness, “No, no you wouldn’t. I’d cut off his ponytail.”

    They busted up, and this time tears were from laughter at the image of Luxu with a bob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all it has been too. Damn. Long. I missed this fic so much. I missed talking with y'all about it so much. I missed having time to write *so much*. But I'm back! I'm free from school, on to bigger and better. Including getting this monster back on its feet.
> 
> I've had this chapter in the works for literal months. I pushed it farther and farther back, played up some miscommunication and angst, and finally found the perfect time for these dorks to get their shit together (hence the chapter title...though I've never actually seen that movie). I hope this chapter was as satisfying to read as it was to write!
> 
> Thank you all for reading and sticking with me, and hello to any new readers! 
> 
> As always, let me know if there are any errors in grammar/spelling/etc. 
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf


	17. Thunder

_What’s your name?_

_Name?_

_You know, the word people call you. Don’t be so dumb._

_Oh. Right._

_So…what is it?_

_Lightning._

_Oh, scary. I like it._

_What’s yours?_

_A secret._

_I told you mine. Why won’t you tell me yours?_

_Mine isn’t all that impressive._

_Try me._

_Darkness._

_Okay, like you said. Not very impressive._

_Hey!_

~

_Hey, Lightning._

_Yes, Darkness?_

_I have a question._

_Shoot._

_Are you human?_

_Mostly._

_Why only mostly?_

_I’ve…got a past. Dealt with some gods, gained some power beyond my usual abilities._

_Impressive._

_You say that a lot. I’m not so sure it’s true._

_I’m sure it is. Tell me more._

~

    _Lightning, we’re friends now, right?_

 _I suppose, considering you’re the only one who can talk to me. Why_ can _you talk to me?_

_Darkness is everywhere, therefore I am everywhere. But I had a request._

_Sure?_

_When you wake, can you bring me to life? I want to be human—well, mostly human. Just like you._

_When I wake? I’m not waking. I’m basically dead. Didn’t I tell you that part?_

_Yeah, with the whole God of Death thing. But basically dead isn’t the same as actually dead._

_You’re saying I can be brought back?_

_I’m saying you_ will _be brought back._

_How?_

_I’m working on the details. But it will be soon._

_I’m not sure I believe you._

_You will._

~

    _Almost ready. You excited yet?_

_Nervous might be more accurate._

_You still haven’t answered my question, Light._

_Remind me. You ask a lot of questions, Dark._

_Can you bring me to life once you’re back?_

_Yes. I will do that for you._

_Ha! I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces._

_Whose faces? You’ve never mentioned knowing people._

_Of course I know people. I told you, Darkness is everywhere._

_Oh, duh._

_Yeah, duh. I’m gonna miss you, for a while._

_We’ll see each other soon. Actually see each other, too! I’ll put you at the top of my priority list._

_Aw, aren’t you kind._

_Not used to kindness?_

_Nope._

_We’ll have to change that._

~

    “Strap her on the table!”

    “No, guys, come on—I said…”

    “Sir!”

    “Strap her on the damn table!”

    “Yes sir!”

    Prompto let out a heavy sigh as he watched the soldiers navigate the medical room, only _doing as they were told_ when Gladio appeared and shouted at them. Prompto was their senior officer, for Titans’ sakes! Just because he couldn’t physically carry their ward didn’t mean he wasn’t in charge.

    Gladio came to stand behind Prompto, arms crossed over his chest.

    “Success has them all riled up.” He grumbled, glancing down at Prompto sympathetically.

    “Honestly it’s got me, too. I was starting to think we’d never find her.” Prompto gave Gladio a twitch of a smile, then returned his attention to the woman the soldiers had finally secured.

    Noctis and Sora were going to be thrilled when they heard the news.

    The door behind the pair swung open, adding a swarm of medical staff to the already bustling room of soldiers. The nurses and doctors heckled the majority of soldiers from the room until only two stood at attention beside their commanding officers, awaiting any moment in which they might have to re-detain the prisoner. Those commanding officers now numbered three, with Prompto nearly sandwiched in the increasingly small doorway.

    Prompto chose not to acknowledge the newcomer. That ever-present, cocky smirk did nothing but upset his stomach and he already found himself on edge due to the high of the successful rescue. He knew it was best to pretend Luxu wasn’t leering over his shoulder. Instead, he focused on the woman on the table, and the activities of the nurses and doctors as they checked her vitals.

    Thankfully Luxu made it easy, keeping uncharacteristically quiet as they watched the medical process. Confirmations of blood pressure, brain activity, and respiratory rates were called out throughout the room, notes were scribbled on tablets, and commands were given to bring the woman to consciousness all while machines beeped a steady rhythm of life in the background.

    It was exciting, and Prompto felt itchy with the need to help wake her up, somehow. He wanted to meet this pink-haired woman just as much as Noctis, and apparently Luxu. Really, it was Sora’s reaction Prompto was most excited for. It was just a shame he couldn’t be here with them. He was opening his phone to text the kid when it rang in his palm. Noctis was calling.

    “Hey, Noct! Did you get the news?” Prompto answered.

    “Yes, I heard that you found her. But we’ve got a problem—Sora and his friend have disappeared. They’re not in the castle, I’ve had Kingsglaive searching for the past two hours. I need you and Gladio to send out troops and start searching both countries.”

    “Have you tried calling him?”

    “He doesn’t have his phone. I forgot to give it back to him—he left his backpack in the prison the other day and it was in there.”

    “Alright. We’ll head out right now. What orders do you want us to give if she wakes up while we’re gone?”

    “Is Luxu there?”

    “Yeah.”

    “He’ll deal with it.”

    Noctis hung up. Considering he and Prompto could talk back and forth on the phone for hours Noct must have been in a mighty hurry. With a frown, Prompto tucked his phone in his pocket and relayed the message to Gladio. Luxu reassured them he’d keep the situation under control, and hoped they’d find Sora soon.

    It didn’t sit right with Prompto that Sora had disappeared the same day they found Kairi. It felt equally wrong to leave her alone with Luxu. Well, not fully alone, there were still doctors and nurses. If there hadn’t been, Prompto would have insisted Gladio stay behind, too.

    Those feelings haunted him all the way to their jeep.

    “You think she’ll be okay?” He asked as they hit the road, barreling toward Lucis.

    Gladio shrugged, “I don’t know, Prompt. But there’s something happening, something big and probably bad.”

    “Do you think Lux—.”

    Gladio held up a hand, “Don’t. I know you don’t like him, but Noct trusts him so we’ve gotta deal with him.”

    Prompto heaved a sigh and leaned his elbow against the windowsill. He more than disliked Luxu—he almost hated him. There was a time when Noctis was Prompto’s closest friend, someone with which no secrets were kept. Now he felt like he only knew the man’s name, barely even that.

    He watched the city blaze by and murmured, “Maybe we can’t trust Noct.”

    “What? What makes you say that?” Gladio gave him a sharp look from the corner of his eye.

    “I mean, think about it! He’s been spending way more time at the castle these past three years—since his father and Luna died—than ever before. You know Noct was never a fan of being trapped up in that castle. He was with me on the battle field almost every day until they died.”

    Prompt glared at the city as Gladio fumbled for something to say.

    It wasn’t until they’d pulled up at the castle that he placed a comforting hand on Prompto’s shoulder and said, “I’ll talk to Ig about it. War changes people and so does death, just keep that in mind, ‘kay?”

    Prompto gave him a short nod, then clambered out of the car. Despite the reassurance, his heart was in his throat as they walked up the steps.

~

    Luxu was a patient man. One of his top skills, considering he’d been waiting _decades_ for this moment. This moment, in which he had to patiently wait for his most guarded treasure to wake.

    As if.

    Soon as the Master’s minions were out of the room, Luxu summoned his arrow guns and dispatched the pair of soldiers. Then he stalked up to the lead doctor, grabbed the back of her scrub collar, and jerked her toward the door.

    “Get out. All of you.” He snarled, pointing a gun in her face so her subordinates would get the picture.

    “Do as he says.” The doctor repeated to her gawking staff.

    As the staff rushed from the room, she remained rooted to the spot, jaw clenched and eyes as deadly as the weapons threatening her life.

    “What are you doing?” She snapped once they were alone.

    Luxu allowed himself a grin. Ah, his role was so exciting! So many twists and turns, resistance where he’d least expect it. A measly doctor, thinking she could somehow stop him. Adorable.

    “None of your business, Doc. Don’t make me ask twice.”

    The woman growled, “That’s _Doctor McCoy_ to you, traitor.”

    Luxu laughed, grin becoming sneer, “You don’t know how right you are. Now save your own ass so you can keep saving others’ later, kapiche?”

    With one final glance at the pink-haired woman strapped to the table, the doctor turned on her heel and stormed from the room. As soon as the door swished closed, Luxu heard her hollering commands for officers to come and kill him. Sweet, now they had a time limit.

    Luxu hustled over to the table and dismissed his guns so he could undo the restraints and set her free. As he did so, a nurse slipped out from behind a curtain where she’d hid in the initial commotion. Luxu glanced up at her, then gestured at the machine hookups still attached to the woman on the table.

    “As soon as she’s unplugged you zap her.” He ordered.

    “You still sure this’ll work?” Elrena asked in that annoying, _I don’t believe a thing you say even though you’ve gotten me this far_ voice of hers.

    “No shit!” Luxu snapped as he released the last strap.

    Together he and Elrena slipped every last needle from the woman’s skin, then Luxu hopped up to her head. The shouting in the hall was getting louder and more purposeful, indicating enemies were seconds away.

    “Come on, kid, wake up already.” He grumbled as he brushed the hair from her face.

    So peaceful, in slumber. Hopefully the brat had done his job and egged her on right, or not even Elrena was going to be useful. Lightning mage in question had one hand over the woman’s heart, and one placed on her forehead. Luxu stood back, and Elrena began pouring magic into her. Strings of electricity danced along Elrena’s hands, crackling as they slid into their target’s skin. This went on for a long moment, too long if the pounding footsteps in the halls were anything to go by.

    Luxu chuckled. Rain before the storm.

    And there it was, that gasp of air from rosy lips, those fluttering lids over sky blue eyes, the sudden upright sit of a person back from the dead.

    Though, this was no ordinary rise.

    As she woke, the infantry Doctor McCoy had sent for rushed the room, ready to take a singular prisoner merely armed with magical guns. They were completely unprepared for the waking of a goddess with powers unknown and deadly.

    Luxu hauled Elrena into a portal just before bolts of lightning burst from the woman, lacing up and down the walls, ceiling, floor, electrocuting every human and machine in the room. Spraks flew, bodies dropped. From her lungs came an awful sound, much like a scream but with deep, roaring tones.

    In the hallway, the smile Luxu gave Elrena was more genuine than any he’d shown in a decade.

    His role was hours from fulfillment.

    Luxu was about to be a free man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got over the writer's block, so things are going to start rolling again. Thank you all for the lovely comments! You rock. <3 sherlockwolf


	18. Cutting Ties

    The portal Luxu opened up led them to a part of Shibuya Elrena had never been to. They were in the middle of an intersection, facing an old corner store with sliding doors. Luxu was already at those doors, not wasting time when carrying a dazed God of Death in his arms. He threw a look over his shoulder to see if Elrena was still behind him.

    “You comin’?” He asked sourly, as though he didn’t particularly want her to, but wasn’t going to stop her if she did.

    But he was in far too good a mood to actually mean it and she wasn’t about to bail on the hope of getting home, so Elrena followed, arms crossed over her chest to hide the fact that she’d summoned her daggers. No matter how much Marluxia and Demyx begged her to, she had no trust for Luxu.

    “This isn’t Dem’s place.”

    They walked passed rows of empty shelves, long-since ravaged for supplies. Empty cans, boxes, bottles littered bits of the floor as though someone had made a weak attempt at trash piles. Elrena was once again thankful she hadn’t been in Eos when the war first broke out. She’d seen enough death in her life, and even that couldn’t compare to the famine of a nation.

    “Nope, this is a pit stop. I’ve got one last thing to take care of to guarantee our escape.”

    “Looks like they’ve run out of laxatives, so you’re out of luck.”

    Luxu shot her a glare over his shoulder. She grinned at him.

    Despite the banter, she and Luxu didn’t get along. At all. Yet, he’d called her minutes after she’d hung up with Demyx, asking her to join him at the headquarters’ hospital in Shibuya. She knew why, now, though at that moment she’d been beyond confused. What the hell could Luxu possibly want from her? She was a thorn in his side at best. Her sudden involvement in Luxu’s secrets did not bode well, even though she was having great fun finally taking action in betraying the Master. She got along with him less.

    They went up a set of stairs at the back of the store, bringing them up to the second floor. They paused at the top, and Luxu had Elrena wait with the woman leaning heavily against her, arms wrapped over her shoulders. Elrena had to frantically dismiss her daggers, and if he noticed he didn’t comment. All Luxu said was for her to defend the woman with her life—which, upon the first glance at her face back in the hospital room, Elrena knew she would do anyway—then he continued down the hall alone.

    Despite the light show back at the hospital, the woman—Elrena really needed to ask her name—was weak, all of her weight leaning on Elrena who had her arms around the woman’s waist to add balance. The woman’s head rested low on her own arms, and though she was looking in the direction of Luxu, Elrena wasn’t sure how much she was actually seeing with that thousand-yard stare.

    Luxu called out as he passed the first room to the right, door closed with a keypad serving as a lock. But he didn’t stop there.

    “Ava! There’s no hiding anymore, time’s up!”

    The second door he came upon was open, and he vanished inside. There was the sound of scuffling, an unknown woman’s voice yelled some choice words, then Luxu cried out in pain. A woman appeared in the doorway and began to race down the hall, directly toward Elrena. But when she caught sight of the pair, she stopped in her tracks.

    Elrena assumed was the ‘Ava’ Luxu had been calling for. She took in Ava’s appearance, including the shocked expression. She was wearing white and pink robes, a hood drawn over their head, with long black-grey hair trailing down one shoulder. A keyblade was held defensively in front of her, with pastel colors, a gold handle, and a teal-eyed fox on the base.

    Damn, today was a good day to be into women.

    “Luxu, who is that?” Ava asked, fear saturating her tone.

    Luxu appeared in the door, green light swirling around his hand where it rested over his ribs. Elrena was impressed—this girl could bite. His other hand held one of his guns loosely at his side.

    Luxu’s familiar, cocksure grin appeared, “You know that box I’ve been dragging around for decades? She’s what’s been in it.”

    Ava didn’t take her eyes off the woman clinging to Elrena’s shoulders, “No...”

    “Yes.” Luxu confirmed.

    “How?” Ava finally turned to Luxu, and Elrena imagined those grey eyes sparking flames.

    Or, preferably, lightning.

    “The Master’s the one who knows, I was just tasked to deliver the package. But you already know that, and more.”

    “You’re going to use her powers for yourself.”

    “Bingo!”

    “That means killing anyone who’s in the way, and if she’s under your control…that’s like a snap of her fingers.” Ava spoke with horrified awe.

    “I missed how smart you are.” Luxu crooned, right before firing his purple bullets at Ava.

    The woman ducked, as did Elrena, leaving the daggers no target other than the back wall.

    “Asshole!” Elrena hissed, scooping up the woman’s legs as best she could and slipping down the stairs.

    The sound of fighting continued, but Elrena had no interest in helping Luxu win—or Ava, even though the woman’s words had left Elrena feeling significantly more suspicious of Luxu.

    She summoned a portal of her own, knowing the risk was high without a coat, and rushed through.

~

    Elrena’s departure wasn’t ideal, but it was expected. If she were smart, she’d go to Demyx. If she were annoying, she’d go to Lauriam. Unfortunately she was both of those things, rendering her unpredictable.

    But that was a problem for himself in the near future. For now, he had to focus on getting rid of Ava once and for all. With Elrena gone, he could bring out his true power.

    No Name manifested in his hands, and he lunged forward. The clang of blades echoed terribly in the hall. No bell signified their battle this time—but this battle deserved no significance, unless one counted the end of a life. But Luxu had ended too many lives to be moved.

    “Why are you doing this?” Ava shouted at him, shoving him away with more strength than he remembered.

    That was fine—he’d struck her down once, he could do it again.

    “Gonna have to be more specific, sweetheart.” Luxu mocked, swiping at her feet before blasting a ray of fire at her.

    Ava’s headscarf caught flame, and she ripped it from her head just in time to protect her hair. She summoned a blast of water which put out the flames and sent Luxu stumbling back.

    “What do you gain, by betraying your friends, your world, and everyone in the Realm of Light? What could possibly be worth it?” She demanded.

    Aw cute, she wanted a villainous monologue. Luxu laughed. She was going to hate how simple the answer was.

    He lunged again, striking hard and fast, following his physical assault with volleys of purple arrows. Ava summoned a shield, forcing the arrows away while parrying Luxu’s blows. She was far more advanced than anyone he’d fought in eons, but she was out of practice as evident in her steps backward each time he hit. She tried to make up for it with spells—getting his hands frozen certainly set Luxu back a peg—but it wasn’t enough. No one was ever enough to beat Luxu.

    “Power.” He told her, as she found herself cornered against the wall by the stairs, “Social, political, economic, physical—I want to rule to universe, have it my way, not be bossed around by anybody who thinks they’re better than me.”

    Ava let out a disbelieving laugh, “Is that all?”

    She shoved him backward with a reflect spell once again, and this time Luxu didn’t bother to jump back into the fray. Instead he stood a few feet away, chest heaving and keyblade hanging limp. It was a false play, and maybe she’d take the bait, but he didn’t care either way. He needed a moment to strategize because tiring her out wasn’t going to work.

    “What? I can be simple, sometimes.”

    Ava scoffed, “With the amount of lies you carry, I doubt that.”

    Luxu grinned. She knew him so well. Too bad they weren’t friends.

    “Don’t you have something you want? Would do anything to get?” He asked, biding time.

    Her magic was so strong, and she was supplementing it with the keyblade too well. Luxu felt frustration building in his chest.

    “Of course. But I’ve accepted that what I want isn’t something I can have, even if I tried _anything_.”

    “And what’s that?”

    “For my friends to be whole once again. For them to trust and love each other as they once did, before you tore us apart.”

    Luxu placed one hand over his heart and gave her a mocking look of sympathy, “Aren’t you sweet.”

    Ava doused him with a water spell. “Unlike you, I’ve accepted that I will never see this come to fruition. Instead, I have used my life to _better_ those of others. I’ve helped the people of Shibuya, I heal and protect them from the war. What good have you ever done?”

    “Hey now, I’ve helped out sometimes. So long as it caters to my needs, I don’t mind playing along with others.”

    Deciding he’d stalled too long, he launched a series of purple spears, each trying to pierce Ava’s reflect. They ricocheted, a few coming dangerously close to him. Luxu had to blip in and out of reality to avoid them.

    Ava had no more to say, and their battle continued. Some long minutes later, Luxu finally overtook her, with some well-placed spears that trapped her clothing to the wall. She couldn’t free herself fast enough and, just as he had with Riku, Luxu placed No Name over her throat. He ripped her keyblade from her hand and shoved it away with his feet.

    “Any last words?” He huffed out, trying to catch his breath for the final blow.

    “Why are you trying to kill me?”

    “You’re going to get in my way again if I don’t.” He began to press the blade forward, drawing a line of red.

    “You’re wrong.”

    He paused. Might as well get some final entertainment out of her. “Okay...”

    “As I said, I’ve accepted my fate. Eos—Shibuya—is my home now. I don’t want to leave, I want to stay and keeping helping them. These people will need me when the war ends, so that they can be protected while they rebuild. Trying to stop you doesn’t benefit _me._ It hasn’t for a long, long time.” Ava spoke earnestly.

    Luxu considered. He wasn’t sure why, but she made him think.

    Ava hadn’t stirred up _any_ trouble the entire time he’d been here. The Master didn’t even _know_ she was around, which meant she’d kept herself well out of his radar. If she had wanted to put a stop to any of Luxu’s plans, she could have tattled to the Master as soon as she arrived in Eos. Yet she hadn’t.

    In a way, her protection of herself had also protected Luxu…she was almost an ally.

    “I want to be left alone, Luxu. I don’t want anything to do with the Realm of Light anymore. Even if I disapprove of what you’re doing.”

    Luxu found himself believing her. She sounded tired, resigned, far less spunky and determined to do the Right Thing than when she was young. Really, this encounter with her had caught him by surprise. Though he’d expected the interrogating questions, he hadn’t expected her to be so…heartfelt. Perhaps he should have—Ava had always held the most love. Perhaps she’d gotten Luxu’s share of it, and therefore surplus.

    “Alright,” Luxu released the pressure on her throat, “But if I see you again, I’ll kill you.”

    “I swear on my keyblade you won’t.”

    Luxu smirked, “I like the sound of that.”

    He chose to take the easy way out, stepping backward into a portal. Ava’s storming eyes were the last bit of her he saw before the dark consumed him.

    Funny, he was almost going to miss her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how short this chapter is, I just needed to tie up things with Ava in order to get the plot to where it needs to be. 
> 
> Next chapter will get us back to our boys! 
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me.
> 
> <3 Sherlockwolf


	19. Fire Power

    Unfortunately it wasn’t Xigbar who found them. Instead, Demyx appeared with a few pairs of shorts for Sora which he unceremoniously dropped on Riku’s head. Riku startled awake, then in turn draped them over Sora like shawls.

    Sora lifted his head from Riku’s chest, waking from the hours-long nap they’d taken. The pair had fallen into comfortable silence after their giggle fest had simmered down, each losing themselves in thoughts and the warmth of the other until sleep took them over. It had been a _long_ day, with no end in sight if Xigbar was still going to show up.

    Riku hated that the moment had to end, but there went Sora standing up and collecting the shorts in his arms.

    “Anything happen yet?” Sora asked Demyx, who was hovering behind the lounge chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

    “Lauriam said they’ve sent out a search team for you guys, but otherwise I’m still waiting to hear from Xigbar, or even Prompto.” Demyx looked troubled, as if he should have received a message by now.

    Riku didn’t like that. He also wondered just how it was Demyx and Lauriam kept in contact. Surely the phones used by the others were being monitored and, as considered earlier, Noctis had a magical way of knowing when people went in and out of his castle. Maybe the ex-Organization members had devices of their own. They’d been here long enough and were smart enough to have developed something—not that Riku would never give them that credit aloud.

    As Riku stood Demyx said, a teasing glint in his eyes, “Yozora told me what’s up, by the way.”

    Sora gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry for lying to you.”

    Demyx shrugged, “I know why you did, so don’t sweat it. I’d do the same for my guy.”

    Sora perked up at that. Demyx led the way back to the main living room as he was pestered with questions. None of which he answered, but Riku didn’t begrudge him that. Curious Sora was a dangerous beast.

    “It’ll be a surprise! I’ll introduce you when we get back.” Demyx promised as they came into the living room, “Now, who’s hungry?”

    Everyone chimed in with confirmations, so Sora accepted defeat and Demyx began busying himself in the kitchen. Riku hovered in the doorway, leaning his weight on it. Yozora was sitting in front of the window-wall, city-gazing. King of Sunshine took a seat next to Yozora, and a hushed conversation began between them. Riku chose to quell the instinctive jealousy and instead focused on the missing member of the mismatched, temporary household. He joined Demyx in the kitchen, fetching dishes and utensils for him. Considering the meager supplies of the Shibuya citizens, Riku was a bit shocked to see Demyx had fully stocked the cupboards and fridge.

    Riku asked, “Where’s Xigbar?”

    Demyx took the colander from Riku, “Not here yet. Said he was on his way about an hour ago, but he didn’t say where from or why it might take him so long. He usually uses portals to travel so I’m not sure...”

    To Riku that sounded like a plan gone wrong.

    “What is he doing?” Riku asked as Demyx tasked him with mixing olives and a jar of spaghetti sauce.

    “It’s the most important step to getting us all home. There’s this prisoner that the Empire had, and she’s got immense powers. The Master was trying to get her so he can win the war. So, when Prompto’s squad rescued her early this morning, Xig had me sneak in and pretend to be a part of the hospital staff for a while to get details on her. Then I had to come get you guys, so I’m not sure what else has happened. The plan is to rendezvous here, then we’re gonna head home.”

    “Wait, what?” Sora called out from the living room, voicing the exact thought in Riku’s mind.

    The drama they’d been involved in the past few days was going to come to an end that quickly?

    Sora appeared by Riku’s side a moment later, stealing an olive from the sauce as they waited for Demyx to respond.

    “Yeah, we’re going home as soon as everyone gets here. You guys are ready, and the only piece left that Xig said we have to do is kill Noctis.”

    Sora held a hand up, “Okay. Woa. Why didn’t you tell us any of this earlier?”

    Demyx shrugged, filling a pot with water from the sink, “You guys didn’t ask for details, so I thought you knew.”

    “It makes me feel better knowing Prompto actually had someone to rescue, at least.” Sora grumbled.

    Riku nodded. He would’ve been pissed to learn he’d been sent on a wild goose chase after a non-existent prisoner if he’d been in Prompto’s shoes.

    “I thought the Master was all-powerful, so how are we supposed to kill him?” Yozora asked from the living room.

    The _whoosh_ of a portal opening behind them answered. All four men turned to see a person step out into the living room. But the person wasn’t Xigbar. Instead, Larxene stumbled forward with a pink-haired woman cradled in her arms. Larxene was covered in cuts, blood trickling from a particularly long slice over her cheekbone. It was sure to scar if not soon healed by curaga. Her blue blazer was equally cut up, much like Riku’s jacket had been a few days ago. If it were anyone else from Larxene he’d feel sympathetic.

    “Elly! You made it.” Demyx crowed as Larxene set her cargo on one of the couches.

    “Don’t call me that around other people!” Larxene snapped.

    Demyx grinned, “Sure thing, Elly.”

    Larxene glared at him, then turned her attention to the others. “Any of you have enough brain cells to help with curing? We need to get her conscious.”

    Sora and Riku scrambled over to her.

    “Who is she?” Sora asked, tucking a stray strand of hair away from the woman’s face.

    “She’s a Goddess of Death.” Larxene answered.

    “Woa!”

    Riku found it a little too good to be true. Yozora had literally _just_ asked for a way to kill Noctis, and now she was lying on this couch. Yeah, right. Even with these doubts, he joined Sora in casting rounds of curaga over the woman.

    “She’s Xiggy’s secret weapon. Can’t exactly out-duel a mage with a death spell.” Demyx boasted.

    “Ugh, I forgot you have gross nicknames for everyone.” Larxene grumbled.

    “Hey!”

    The woman’s eyes fluttered open then, so Riku shushed the squabbling pair. The woman sat up, gripping the couch for support as she took in her audience.

    “Um…hello. Who are you?” She asked, sizing each of them up.

    Naturally Sora enthusiastically introduced himself to her, then everyone else took a turn including the woman herself.

    “My name is Lightning.”

    From the corner of his eye, Riku saw Larxene smirk.

    “So…is anyone going to tell me where I am?” Lightning asked, turning her scrutinizing gaze to Sora.

    It was Riku’s turn to smirk—Lightning couldn’t have picked an easier target to get the truth from. That was a good thing, too, because Riku was sick of all the lying and double crossing that went on in this world. He’d like to have another person on their side who knew the same confusing, conflicting details.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the months-long delay! Life got hectic this summer and of course the heat sapped any energy I had left at the end of the day to do anything. This heat y'all, it's been too much for me. Vancouver here I come.
> 
> Anyway, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things in September. I'm job-searching right now but hopefully my situation will be sorted out by then.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope this update was alright ^^' 
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf


	20. Yes, Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all it has been a *time*. My life is a hot mess. I really appreciate your patience with my hiatuses taking so much longer than any of us want them to. Writing is becoming a sanctuary to me, it's the best escape I have from the nightmares that have happened this week. 
> 
> *Drumroll*
> 
> After this we've only got three chapters to go! One of which is actually going to be an epilogue, but heck you guys we're almost there! Thank you all so much for going on this wild journey with me, I truly enjoy writing this fic and I'm going to miss it once it's over.
> 
> Without further ado...

    The Master of Masters was an outright mess.

    The losses of Sora and who he would only refer to as “the asset” were driving him mad. Even Prompto, who Lauriam had noticed the Master held a certain fondness for, couldn’t calm the man down. Thus far he had paced the full length of the throne room at least ten times, after which Lauriam lost count. His hands went in and out of his hair, his phone never went more than thirty seconds unchecked.

    Every squad was on high alert and those not on the front lines of battle were actively searching Lucis and Shibuya. But that wasn’t enough.

    Though Lauriam and Ludor had kept the truth of Sora’s escape secret, the Master came to his own conclusion that Luxu was behind both disappearances rather than one. By now he was talking to himself as the others watched, unclear on what to do.

    Ludor had been with Lauriam, the two about to enact their own escape, when the Master had urgently summoned them to the throne room. If the Master hadn’t done so in person, Lauriam and Ludor would’ve finished their escape. Instead, they had to follow the Master back to the throne room where he’d divulged Sora’s absence and asked for their help in finding him. Not long after Prompto and Gladio had arrived, and just as their briefing finished the news that Luxu and Elrena had stolen the prisoner who’d just been rescued reached the ears of the Master.

    Damn Luxu and his trickery. The consequences always fell on others.

    “Prompto, any word from Ignis?” The Master called across the room, looking up from his phone briefly to locate Prompto.

    “No updates. I’ll send him a text.” Prompto sighed where he stood beside Lauriam and pulled out his own phone.

    An idea struck Lauriam.

    He leaned over into Prompto’s space and murmured, “Could I send Ignis a message as well? I want to give him some ideas with my own knowledge of Sora’s behaviour that might help him better guide the squads.”

    “Oh, uh, sure.” Prompto handed over his phone.

    Rather than text Ignis, however, Lauriam tapped out a new message to a phone number he’d memorized long ago. Lauriam and Ludor were late to the rendezvous, which meant that Plan B had to be enacted. Though he’d been somewhat prepared for plan B, plan A would have been so much easier.

 

    _Trapped with MoM. Plan B. We’re in TR, make sure he sees sky. Meet you at the showdown._

    With the coded text sent, Lauriam navigated through the phone as quickly as he could to delete the message from its memory. Then he typed out a new message in the textbox for Ignis. But he didn’t send this one. Instead he gave the open phone back to Prompto.

    _I’m typing this rather than whispering just in case the wrong ears over hear it. Do you find Noctis’ behaviour strange? He seems unhinged, usually he’s confident. You’ve always been close with him, any ideas?_

    Prompto began frantically erasing so he could type out his own response, which he handed back to Lauriam.

_Probably worried about Sora and his friend, and Luxu betraying us. He’s been acting weird for so long though that this really isn’t that different._

    Lauriam felt bad taking advantage of Prompto’s concern for his friend, but he needed to keep the phone open as long as possible for Luxu to trace the signal.

    _So he’s been acting different for a while? How long, exactly?_

It wasn’t that he needed answers to these questions to one-up the Master—in such a state, he was sure to lack proper judgement which would simply make his take-down all the easier. No, Lauriam needed Prompto’s trust now more than ever in the year and a half they’d known each other. If anyone could convince the Master to fall for the trap Luxu was to set, it was Prompto.

~

        Luxu walked into quite the scene when he finally made it to Demyx’s hidey-hole. In the time he’d taken to defeat Ava not only had Demyx managed to amass the trio of snarky kids, his unruly sister, and make dinner, but Lightning was wide awake and chatting with Sora like they’d known each other their whole lives.

    That was the brilliance of the kid, after all, and why he made such an excellent pawn. It was easy to instantly trust him, be drawn in by the belief he’d prioritize other’s happiness and make sacrifices for them from the goodness of his heart. And sure some of that was certainly real, but no one looked under the skin to see what Sora was really after, why he put up such a helpful, hopeful front. Even Sora could be selfish, something Luxu had witnessed and planned to exploit until the kid was six feet under.

    Demyx was dishing out bowls of spaghetti, Lightning and Sora were seated at the bar while Riku was filling up glasses of water. Yozora leaned against the countertop beside Demyx, and Elrena was searching the fridge. She closed the door with a frustrated sigh and turned, catching Luxu’s eye as she did. Then six heads snapped to attention, all froze in place as though they had given up on him actually showing up.

    Luxu put on his confidence hat, strode up to Demyx, and clapped a hand on his shoulder,

    “Heard the dinner bell, sure looks good!”

    Elrena scoffed, leveling Luxu with a glare, “So, did you kill her?”

    If the curious silence had already been stifling, it was now suffocating.

    “ _No_ , we came to an agreement,” he said forcefully, “ _Anyway_ , I see you’ve got our Death Goddess awake. Any news from Lauriam?”

    “No, he hasn’t been in contact. He should’ve at least left the castle by now.” Demyx spoke up, cutting off whatever damning retort Elrena had been about to say.

    Luxu was eternally grateful for Demyx. His loyalty was probably the only thing keeping Sora and Riku in line. Not having Lauriam and Ludor here, however, was added stress. The Master now had two bargaining chips he could throw around. Luxu needed to snatch them back before they hit the table, but he wasn’t confident the Master wouldn’t do something irrational. Oh well. Lauriam was a smart man, he would handle it. Probably.

    “That means the Master has him and Ludor. We—.”

    “We have to go save them! We can’t leave without them, Lauriam’s helped me too much to just abandon him!” Sora hopped to his feet from where he’d been crouched beside Lightning by the couch, Riku on his heels.

    Luxu smirked. Typical Sora.

    “Not to worry, we planned for it. _You,_ ” He pointed at Sora, “are going to help me lure the Master to our rendezvous spot, then we’ll have _her_ ,” he then pointed at Lightning, “help us end him so we can all go home. Kapiche?”

    Sora reconsidered his idea of rushing in, then nodded. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”

    “Thought you’d never ask.” Luxu snarked, then waved Sora over to the unoccupied couch whose back faced the floor-to-ceiling window.

    Sora plopped beside him, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Luxu pull out his phone—not one of the Master’s, but similar in that it was mostly holographic. Rather than blue themes, however, this phone had a mix of magenta and bronze. It helped Luxu keep track of which was which so he could keep his frenemies in order. He scrolled through his texts, arriving at the one he needed.

    _We’ve got the thunder, now it’s your turn. Meet us there ASAP. Tell N._

“Who is that for?” Sora asked.

    “Just keeping all the gears oiled.” Luxu replied, then switched phones, leaving the magenta one in his lap while setting up the one from the Master for a video call.

    “You know, you might as well just tell me. If we’re leaving soon there’s no point in lying anymore.”

    Luxu decided to ignore that comment. A, there wasn’t enough time to explain _everything_ he was hiding from Sora. B, they were still going to be enemies once they got out of here, and Luxu didn’t need to accidently tell Sora something that would bite him in the ass later.

    The phone buzzed in his lap, and he picked it up.

    _Copy that. Count to sixty._

    Luxu switched phones again. This time he activated the practice camera. Sora was half in the frame, so Luxu had him scoot closer. He got dirty looks from Riku, which made him chuckle. This was worth it just to piss off that kid.

    _One, two, three, four…fifty five, fifty six, fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty nine…_

_Sixty._

_~_

    One of the many conference screens within the throne room lit up of its own accord, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. The Master even stopped pacing, the light was so unexpected. He squinted up at the screen as the image of a man with reddish, pinkish hair appeared on screen. Fury swam through his veins. This day just kept getting _worse_ when it was supposed to have been _perfect_!

    _“Ah, I see the King is not on his throne. Such a shame. I wonder what’s got him occupied.”_

    “Sounds like you know.” The Master bit back.

    _“But of course. What news did I have brought to my desk this evening? Can you guess?”_

    The Master had a choice. Play dumb, or play the high ace. If he acted like he had no idea what Ardyn was referring to, he could easily place the blame on Luxu and indicate that the two empires now had a rogue enemy in common. Or, he could claim he had the Death Goddess in his possession as he should have, and perhaps Ardyn would be convinced without visual proof. With that they could negotiate, and maybe the war would end tonight with the Empire’s surrender.

    “I can more than guess. Your _prisoner_ is being treated like a queen as we speak.”

    Ardyn’s smile became far too omniscient for the Master’s liking. _“Is she now? Well, I suppose I ought to negotiate for her return.”_

    “You won’t get it. In fact, you’d be better off begging for the survival of your military. She’s wrathful, and now that she’s free she’s willing to help me put an end to this war _tonight_.”

    _“Hmm...”_ Ardyn was always so cocky, thinking he could survive anything and that he was always ten steps ahead.

    He reminded the Master of Luxu.

    _“Sounds like we need a negotiation. How about we meet at the border, nice and simple?”_

    “Alright. Be there in an hour—no troops, no guards, nothing. I won’t bring anyone either.”

    _“Not even my prize?”_

    “Especially not her.”

    Ardyn laughed, then ended his video call.

    Prompto appeared beside the Master immediately.

    “You can’t go without us, Noct, what if he gets ahold of you again? I can’t—.”

    “He won’t.” The Master snapped, cutting off the man.

    Sometimes he pitied Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis. They thought they were still in the presence of their childhood friend, a boy with a kind heart and soul who had more interests than knowledge and prophecies. At first it had been a challenge to fool them, but he learned to fold to some of their expectations. In a way it had made him a kinder person, though no less thirsty for the unknown. Even so, they had taught him something—the heart has endless capacity for love and devotion, even when it’s not being reciprocated.

    Prompto said nothing more. The video screen had lit again. This time the faces that appeared sent the Master into a full rage.

    “Explain yourself!” The Master howled at the traitor, who had the gall to cackle at him.

    _“Sorry boss, we don’t have enough time. What we do have time for is a little fun.”_

“Enough of your games, Luxu! Bring the Goddess and Sora back to me immediately.”

    The Master hated Luxu. He was supposed to have betrayed the union leaders, never anyone else. Yet here he was, _traitor_ more of a personality trait than a part of his history.

    _“As if! You’re going to have to come get them. The border sounds like a great place, doesn’t it?”_

    That phrasing had the Master pause. Could Luxu and Ardyn be conspiring? But how? As far as he knew, Luxu had never met Ardyn. _Couldn’t_ have, because the Master kept tabs on that idiot twenty-four-seven. But…maybe there had been flaws in his system. Some sort of magic that had gone unaccounted for. Luxu was smart, after all, which had been why he’d taken him as an apprentice so long ago.

    For the first time in centuries, the Master felt dread seep through his veins. Luxu held the vital tools required to return to the Realm of Light just out of reach, and the Master was the poor cat trying to catch the mouse’s tail in his mouth. The full realization of betrayal that had been held at bay took him by force. Luxu was no longer an apprentice to the magics of the Heart, but a slave to the greed and power that came with such knowledge.

    The Master felt as though a stopwatch had been placed around his neck.

    “Noct?” Prompto’s worried voice broke him from his growing fear.

    “Yes, it does. See you there, in an hour.”

    Luxu’s grin began to turn his stomach.

    “ _Yes, master._ ”


	21. The Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes on this chapter before we dive in: there will be a lot of POV switching, as well as some brief descriptions of gore. Enjoy!

    Sora was thankful for Luxu’s portals. Surely his heart would have exploded if he’d had to sit through another car ride. The anticipation was torture. But waiting behind a heavy steel door wasn’t doing him much better. Since they’d been able to arrive early, Luxu was able to choose a building that served as a perfect place to stash the others while housing enough open space to stage a battle. Lightning and Luxu were poised behind the door of the first floor, which opened to the staircase upon which Sora sat. That staircase would be what Luxu led Noctis and Ardyn up, Sora and Lightning parading ahead like prized cattle. They would come to the third floor, which had a large open space likely used as a computer factory before the war. That would be the place of Noctis’ demise. No one could come to his rescue because Sora had charmed the steel door so that it would lock behind them.

    It was a foolproof trap.

    It made Sora sick.

    Sora was no stranger to death anymore. There was no comfort of a shadow respawning or a Nobody being recalled into existence. The death that happened in Eos was the kind that stuck. Innocent beasts or human beings alike, the end was final.

    Did Noctis deserve death? Were his crimes that awful? Sora felt he didn’t know enough of the man’s true history to have an answer. But his gut always told him _no_. Insisted that _everyone_ deserved as many chances as they could be given. Sure, Noctis had to stay here in Eos. Bringing him back to the Realm of Light was out of the question. But allowing Luxu to return was equally, if not _more_ of an issue. He was cunning, far cleverer than Sora felt he would ever be, and there was no way of knowing what trouble he’d cause when they returned home. But Sora couldn’t think of how to stop him. They needed Luxu’s knowledge of Noctis’ fighting style and magic repertoire to defeat him, and once Noctis was defeated they were likely to be launched right back into the Realm of Light.

    Sora sighed and glared at the back of Luxu’s head. He supposed whatever happened would be an issue for his future self.

    As though the glare was a physical touch, Luxu turned to look over his shoulder at Sora.

    “Bet you’re excited to get home. Miss your pretty little island?”

    “Yeah. What about you, where’s your home?” Might as well ask, Luxu wouldn’t tell him anyway.

    True to form, Luxu laughed, “Never had one, kid.”

    Lightning turned a curious eye to him, “Really? Not even as a child?”

    “Nope. Lived on the streets until the Master took me in.”

    “So you’ve known him a long time?”

    “Longer than you’d believe, sweetheart.”

    “Call me ‘sweetheart’ again and I’ll show you disbelief.” Lightning snapped, but of course Luxu laughed her off.

    The sound of a vehicle engine approaching cut their banter short. Luxu peeked through the slight crack he held in the door with his toe.

    “Must be Ardyn. You two stay here, I’ll lead them inside once the Master gets here.”

    With that, he slipped through the door, leaving Lightning and Sora in silent apprehension.

~

    “Yo, Ardyn!” Luxu waved to the cloaked man as he approached the small mech tank Ardyn had hopped out of.

    “Luxu, how lovely it is to see you again,” Ardyn tipped his hat, a wide smile appearing on his face, “Today’s a good day for both of us, isn’t that right?”

    “Right you are. Should be an easy victory for you. Ready to be king?”

    A glint of excitement lit Ardyn’s eyes, “I already am.”

    “I like your spirit. Here comes the little prince now.” Luxu turned to face the opposite direction of the mech, Ardyn following suit.

    A moment later the Master’s car swung around a corner, barreling toward them. Its driver slammed the brakes mere feet in front of them in a desperate attempt to assert dominance. Luxu chuckled to himself—if only the Master knew what trap he was walking into. If he gained a moment of clarity, he might even be impressed at his former apprentice’s forethought. But Luxu didn’t need the Master to stroke his ego, he had plenty of others to do that.

    The Master had come alone, all seats in the car empty except the driver’s which he climbed out of. He sat on the hood of his car and folded his arms over his chest.

    His words were broad, but his furious gaze only settled on Luxu as he said, “Let’s settle this.”

    Luxu felt almost as bubbly as Demyx at a swimming pool as he led the two inside the building. Sora and Lightning were waiting on the stairs still, and as soon as the door opened the two of them turned and trekked upstairs wordlessly. Luxu let Noctis and Ardyn follow ahead of himself, making sure to close the door behind them. When they reached the second floor, still going up, the Master asked,

    “Why do we have to go in here? Can’t we be outside?”

    “We don’t want to level too many buildings. One will do.” Was Ardyn’s quick response.

    Sora reached the door on the third floor landing and held it open for each person to pass through.

    “You make it sound like we’re going to fight. You know that never goes well for you, Luxu.”

    The Master paused just passed the doorway, blocking Luxu’s entrance to the room. Deciding he may as well start this now, Luxu gave him a full-body shove, forcing him out of the way. Sora closed the door.

    “We’ll see about that.” He growled, summoning No Name to his hand.

    The Master did not turn to face him, rather kept his gaze forward on Lightning who was standing in the florescent-lit center of the room. On three sides of her stood Lauriam, Elrena, Ludor, Riku, and Yozora. Demyx, always the coward, was leaning against a far corner so he could watch instead of participate. Once they were out of here, Luxu was going to beat some courage into him if it took him the rest of the idiot’s life.

~

    The pounding of Sora’s heart no longer beat a steady _Ri-ku_ , but a fast-paced _fe-ar fe-ar fe-ar_. The appearance of Luxu’s keyblade startled him. He’d seen that same blade before. It had belonged to Xehanort. Why did Luxu have it now?

    Noctis made his final plea.

    “Sora. Are you really going to choose the worst of two evils? I am merely a scientist seeking the truths of my curiosities. It is Luxu who poses the real danger.”

    Sora chose not to answer. He’d made his choice for better or worse. To make his point, Sora drew his keyblade. Lauriam and Riku followed suit with Ardyn, Elrena, and Ludor each preparing their own weapons.

    “Quit talking, old man.” Luxu snapped, then he launched forward to strike Noctis across the back.

    Noctis slipped to the side and dashed for the door, but Ardyn blocked his escape with a sharp blast of magenta magic which Sora knew to power the magitek. Why was this man fighting with them? Wasn’t he a part of the Niflheim empire?

    Mere paces in front of him, Noctis summoned his own sword which he used to parry Luxu and Lauriam’s strikes. It was a mesmerizing dance, rhythm provided by the clash of blades, extravagance added by the rainbow of flashing magic.

    “Sora! Pay attention.”

    Riku’s voice beside him startled Sora, who turned and realized that both Yozora and Riku were flanking him. He’d been so enraptured by the three fighting men that he hadn’t realized how close they were getting to him.

    At that moment Noctis’ sword breached the circle, embedding itself in the ceiling. With a burst of blue light Noctis appeared above, hanging from the hilt of the sword. Around him appeared ghostly projections of a dozen other weapons Sora couldn’t name. The armory spun around him in a circle, gaining momentum with each turn.

    “Get behind something!” Luxu hollered.

    Riku and Sora placed their keyblades together and generated a powerful reflect spell, Lauriam and Luxu doing the same on the opposite side of the room to protect the others.

    In a powerful swell of magic, the apparitions disappeared. The shockwave shoved Sora, Riku, and Yozora against the door, but all were unharmed. Across the room the adults clambered to their feet, equally unscathed.

~

    The trapped king dropped to the floor, sword in hand, and everyone leaped toward him. Now it was one against six, the kind woman Elrena and mysterious blond man whose name she’d forgotten hovering just outside the mass of limbs and swords. Lightning had chosen to hover by Demyx, uninterested in the battle. Whatever it was these strangers wanted from her, she would not give to them. She had her own goals and none of them involved these people. Not even the kind woman, though Lightning supposed she would help Elrena if her life was threatened. The little tendrils of electricity crawling around her fingers and the knives she held piqued Lightning’s curiosity. Perhaps they would meet again, and Lightning could teach Elrena to finesse her raw power which she flung like grenades rather than spears.

    Thinking of the future reminded Lightning of Serah. How was her beloved sister fairing, thinking she was alone in life? Lightning needed to return to her, as soon as this nonsense was finished.

    _Don’t forget about me_.

    _I haven’t. Just got busy._

_That’s what they all say._

_I keep my promises._

_Then now would be the perfect time to set me free._

_I thought I was bringing you back to life._

_Same thing._

    Lightning refocused on the battle in front of her. Sora and the twins were fighting as a trio, dodging in and out of the fray like teasing wolves nipping the legs of an elk. Lauriam and Ardyn preferred magic in their fighting, while Luxu pounded the wounded king with volleys of purple arrows and endless strikes of his strange sword. The chaos was loud, floor underfoot draped in blood-stained pink rose petals.

    It was clear no one would give her a second thought. Perhaps Demyx would notice, but he didn’t seem the type to involve himself needlessly, either. She wouldn’t have to worry.

    _Get ready_. She warned her friend.

    _I was born ready_.

    Closing her eyes, Lightning held her hands in front of her chest to summoning a large ball of magic. She began the chant in a whisper, allowing the foreign words to roll off her tongue as she let the energy of the gods flow through her vessel. She channeled that energy to her fingertips, and once the chant ended she opened her eyes a sliver to peek.

    A swirling purple-tinged black ball was amassing between her hands, growing rapidly as the same black, tar-like substance leaked from her fingers. Though she could feel nothing but the tingle of magic, it was staining her hands and her fingertips were already inky black.

    _Is it working_? She asked, unsure if this was a good or bad result.

    This was the first time she’d actually used the gift given to her.

    _Yes! Yes!_

    Lightning smiled. It was nice to have some happiness, taking a bit of edge off the death which otherwise shrouded them all. The ball grew too large for her hands, falling to the floor.

    “What are you doing?” Demyx asked, finally noticing with eyes wide in alarm.

    He took a few steps back until he was truly tucked into the corner. Lightning chose not to answer, fascinated by the new expansion of the dark ball. It stretched upward, thinning into a column, still swallowing the stream of magic from her fingers. Lightning began to feel her own strength sapping just as the thing began taking the shape of a short man. A face began to define, spiked black hair raising from his head. The chin rounded, toes wrapped together. Finally, the shape solidified and new colors appeared. Red lines patterned an unknown symbol on his chest and torso. The rest of his color remained black. He was encased in some kind of suit, save for his neck and head which held a pallid, sickly white skin tone.

    “You’re Darkness?”

    The man grinned, gold eyes flashing mischievously, “In the flesh!”

    Lightning smiled along with him, “I have to say, that was an _impressive_ show.”

    Darkness winked, “Not so bad yourself.”

    He turned his back on her to observe the fight, then tossed a peace sign at her over his shoulder.

   “Nice meeting you, Lightning. Good luck.”

    And then he disappeared. No flash of light to show his path of travel, no puff of smoke. Just gone, as though he’d never existed in the first place.

    _Asshole_.

    But, for the first time in a long time, she received no response. She was alone in her head. Alone in this room, too. Among strangers who only cared for her powers, what they could bring them rather than anything _she_ had to offer. It made Lightning angry, made her want to go home so she could be with Serah. Even Snow would be better company right now.

    A blast of power launched his attackers away, revealing the king. Lightning winced at the sight of him. Clothes and skin were torn, fatty ooze and blood pouring from open wounds all over his body. One of his knees was definitely bent the wrong way, and Lightning was impressed she’d been so wrapped up in her own spell that she hadn’t heard the scream that surely accompanied that particular injury.

    “Sis? Hey, sis!” Demyx spoke up from his corner, eyes focused on Elrena.

    She and Ludor were heaped on the ground, neither moving but both breathing. Without thought Lightning dashed forward, scooping Elrena in her arms and carrying her to the side. Demyx followed suit with Ludor. It wasn’t perfect safety, but at least they would be out of the main fight. Lightning and Demyx could defend them if they had to. But Lightning wouldn’t be surprised if it never came to that. The king was dying from blood loss alone.

    Eyepatch-man whispered something to the floral mage, both of who glanced at her. Lightning watched as the floral mage led the next attack on the king, the cloaked man, Sora, and the twins on his heels. Luxu made his way over to her, slinking along the walls. He gave her the impression of a rat about to take a bite of cheese too large for his mouth.

    Thinking he was going to speak to her, Lightning turned to him. Instead, he lunged forward, embedding the tip of the keyblade in her heart.

    “Sorry, _sweetheart_.”

    The pain was immense, blooming from her chest then sinking into her bones. It consumed her, poisoned her, until she no longer knew her own name. All she knew was pain, _pain,_ then…nothing.

~

    Noctis was dying, but that didn’t stop him. He lashed out, enraged, sword swinging recklessly. It reminded Sora of how he and Riku used to play with their wooden swords before they ever learned real techniques. But Noctis was far more dangerous than a wooden sword. Thankfully he didn’t have the energy to pull off that swords trick again, but his spells were still powerful enough that not dodging them meant a singing burn or frozen bone. Elrena had been absorbing his lightning spells, but without her there was nothing to stop them.

    Riku was struck by a particularly strong one. He dropped to the floor right after. Sora felt static rolling off his own skin, making his spine crawl. He took a step toward Riku so he could check on him, trusting Yozora and Lauriam to cover him. But Noctis beat him, looming over Riku with his sword swinging down, about to strike.

    Sora felt like he was back in the Keyblade Graveyard all over again, helpless to save the person he loved most in the world, the person who always gave the most for him. And here was Riku, once again about to die because he’d chased after Sora. Bringing him home hadn’t been a guarantee. Riku had no idea what he was walking into. And now he was going to die.   

    There was a scream and a blinding flash of white light which forced Sora to cover his eyes. When he lowered his arm, Noctis was kneeling on the floor in front of Yozora, who was lying on his back on top of Riku. Pieces of Noctis were turning black and falling away into nothingness in the same way Sora had watched Nobodies fade. Ardyn and Lauriam stood behind, watching and panting. Green light swirled around them both—Lauriam had cast a heal spell.

    Sora dove for Yozora and Riku, uncaring for his own safety now that Noctis was truly powerless.

    “What happened, are you okay?” He asked Yozora, who pried his gaze from Noctis to look up at Sora.

    When he spoke his voice was thick with pain, “No, dummy. But hopefully your boyfriend is.”

    Yozora lifted his hand to show Sora the deep slash across his stomach. Blood, tissues, and something Sora chose not to identify were pushing their way from the wound. Immediately Sora conjured a healing spell, but he was too weak on his own to fix something like that quickly enough.

    “Yozora,” Sora began, but he didn’t know what to say.

    After all this time, the man who’d become Sora’s unwilling friend had sacrificed his life for a stranger who he detested. A stranger who had what he wanted—the devotion of the only friend he’d ever had.

    “It’s alright, Sora.” Yozora’s eyes were growing heavy, “Now you can go home.”

    “W-what?”

    “Sora. I’m sorry.” This time it was Noctis who spoke.

    Sora turned to glare at him and snap some kind of retort, but the words caught on his tongue as he noticed what else was changing around them. The room was slowly filling in with an empty white, taking all the color as well as the details. Walls, furniture, floor, ceiling, all were being swallowed by white. Even Ardyn had disappeared. It was as though Eos were simply a computer simulation fading away once the cord was removed from the wall.

    “What’s happening?”

    “You’re going home.” Yozora whispered below him.

    Sora watched as Demyx and Luxu carried Elrena and Ludor closer so that all of them were at the center of the creeping white void.

    “I couldn’t stop him. I tried, but he…the kind of magic he had, I’ve never seen it.” Noctis kept talking, sounding distressed and delirious.

    Sora had no idea what he was talking about, but he could relate to the feelings pouring from Noctis’ heart. Luxu sat beside Noctis’ fading body, placing a hand on his shoulder. He leveled Sora with a knowing look, but what secret he was holding Sora couldn’t guess.

    “You did your best, Noctis. The Master had strength most of us struggled to beat. Think of it this way, though. Without you, we couldn’t have won.”

    Noctis coughed a disbelieving laugh, blood flying from his mouth and spattering the ground in front of him. Only his torso, head, and shoulders remained yet they were fading fast.

    “If there’s one thing I know is true about you, Luxu, you’re a _liar_.”

    Sora’s stomach turned as Luxu’s smile twisted, gaze filling with mischief and mirth.

    “You would’ve been a great king, kid. Sorry the old man got a hold of ya.”

    With that, the last of Noctis faded away. Luxu stood, catching Sora’s arm and dragging him up with him. Sora fought thoughtlessly against him, trying to rip himself away so he could help Yozora. But when he looked back to where Riku and Yozora had been lying, he only saw Riku. Yozora was gone. When had he gone? He’d been right there, _talking_ to Sora just a moment ago. Where was he?

    “Cut it out. Lauriam, can you pick up Riku?”

    “I can’t hold up both of them!” Demyx was trying to keep both Elrena and Ludor on their feet.

    The two were unconscious, just like Riku.

    “Sora, we need you to carry Riku.”

    Lauriam’s calm voice broke through Sora’s frenzy. Riku still needed him. Riku was still here, would always still be there. Because people loved Sora, and Riku was…Riku was…

    In his arms. Luxu had let go of him and now Riku’s weight was trying to topple Sora over. Riku was warm, breathing. _Alive_. Because people loved Sora, and Riku _was_ a part of Sora. Integral.

    Sora watched Luxu drag a large box from the last remaining corner of the room. Then the group stood in a circle as the last splash of floor disappeared underneath them, leaving only white.

    If he had been in his right mind, Sora would have asked why that box hadn’t vanished with the rest of the furniture. He would have asked where Lightning was—had she been a part of Eos, too, or was she from somewhere else like them? If she was from elsewhere she should have been with them. But she wasn’t.

    But Sora wasn’t in his right mind. Too much death and stress had never let him think straight, and right now all he wanted to do was hide under blankets with Riku as though he’d just woken from a nightmare.

    Each person began to fade, starting with their feet. The white ate them up, bit by bit. It didn’t hurt, didn’t tickle, didn’t anything. Just swept over them, taking them home to the Light. Sora squeezed his eyes shut and tucked his face against Riku’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed that! I had a fun time writing it. There's a LOT that happened, and some of it is very subtle because of the POV changes. What I want you guys to hold onto, and why I inserted some omniscient narration at the end, is (of course) Luxu's box! Where did it come from? Why is it suddenly here? 
> 
> I know for a final battle this wasn't very action-packed, so let me know what worked for you and what didn't (and also if I fucked up any continuity of the fic. I know I got stuff in FF13 wrong because I've only watched a summary of that plot, and never actually played it...I'm definitely charry picking for my own narrative purposes). I hope you guys enjoyed Vanitas' appearance this chapter. I was definitely making fun of that conversation he and Ventus had in KH3 about Light and Darkness xD
> 
> And as always, let me know if there's any grammar/spelling weirdness. 
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf


	22. Void

     _Ri-ku. Ri-ku. Ri-ku._

_So-ra. So-ra. So-ra._

    Warmth, all around. Like a hot spring except his face is underwater, too. Relaxing, comforting, calming. Familiar.

    _Riku?_

    _I’m here._

    There’s others, father away. Not warm. Familiar but unwelcome. They’re intruding.

    They have names, he knows that. But the only name he cares about right now is that of the warmth’s—Riku.

    _Ri-ku. Ri-ku. Ri-ku._

    _You’re so silly, Sora._

_Am not._

_Ri-ku, Ri-ku, Ri-ku._ The buttery voice teases.

    _So-ra, So-ra, So-ra._ He teases right back.

    _Shut up_.

    They giggle. It echoes in their hearts.

    Suddenly two of the others blink out. They were there, now they aren’t. He knows the name of one that’s gone—Luxu. But the other didn’t have a name. He knows he recognized them, must have met the person. But he can’t remember them.

     _Lightning. Sora, what happened to Lightning?_ Riku’s voice is frantic, but he doesn’t answer it.

    Another presence has arrived. It worms its way between him and Riku, cutting off the warmth and replacing it with ice. Calm gives way to fear. He knows this person. They feel like himself and they feel like Ventus. That can only mean…but when did Vanitas get here? Wasn’t Vanitas dead?

    _You remember me!_

    _Yes…_

_Do you think Ven will remember me?_

_You’re not easy to forget._

_Careful, I might just believe you._

_What do you want?_

_I already got what I want. I’m just saying hi and thanks for the ride._

_Ride?_

Vanitas doesn’t answer, disappears altogether. That’s a good thing, though, because now Riku is back and the warmth is even warmer and he doesn’t care what Vanitas was talking about, all that matters is Riku.

    _Who was that?_

    _Vanitas._

_Shit._

_What’s wrong?_

_We’ll talk about it when we get back, okay? I think we’re about to remat—_

Riku’s voice fades into silence. He panics for a moment, but the warmth doesn’t leave. It lulls him back into thoughtlessness.


	23. Home

    The taste of dirt in his mouth was the first thing Sora became aware of. The second was that something alive and heavy was lifting itself off of him. The third was Sora himself being righted to a sitting position. He opened his eyes carefully, wincing against the light. It had been over a year and a half since he’d seen the sun. It hurt, so he squeezed his eyes shut.

    “You’re all a bunch of blind bats.” Riku’s voice came from the person whose arm was around his shoulders.

    Sora looped his own arms over Riku’s shoulders and hid his face in the nook they created.

    “You’d be just as bad if you’d been there longer.” He whined.

    “Ugh, I need sunglasses.” Elrena complained from somewhere to Sora’s left.

    Riku shucked off Sora, “I think there’s some in my ship, hold on.”

    The sound of footsteps walked away, followed by the hiss of a gummyship door opening nearby. Nothing happened for a few moments, then the footsteps returned. Riku sat beside Sora a moment later and placed sunglasses on his face. Sora peeked open his eyes and found the experience much, much better. He still had to squint _a lot_ but at least now he could see.

    “Thanks Riku!” He cheered, pulling his best friend into a hug.

    Riku laughed at him and messed up his hair.

    “Seriously though, thanks dude.” Demyx agreed.

    Sora took a moment to look around as he and Riku got to their feet. They were in the Keyblade Graveyard with Lauriam, Ludor, Elrena, and Demyx. Luxu was nowhere to be seen. Sora recalled a hazy memory of feeling Luxu disappear but he wasn’t surprised that the man wasn’t with them and honestly didn’t feel like he was worth bringing up. Luxu had caused them enough trouble for the moment. All Sora wanted now was to go home and veg until everything that had happened in Eos felt like a dream.

    “So. Mind giving us a ride?” Elrena pointed her thumb at the gummyship.

    Riku slung his arm over Sora’s shoulders and began pulling him toward the ship.

    “Hop in.”

~

    Thankfully everyone requested the same drop off place. Riku guided the gummyship through the space ocean, expertly dodging asteroids and destroying heartless ships. Everyone else was sprawled on the bunks napping or on the floor playing a card game. They’d insisted Riku leave on the lights in the ship so they’d be a little less blindsided when they stepped off.

    They had a second stroke of luck—it was nighttime when they arrived in Radiant Garden. Oil lamps lining the streets provided soft, orange light. Riku settled the ship outside of the castle, drawing the attention of whoever was inside as a figure hurried across the cobblestones toward them. Riku released the door and pushed it open. He hopped out, needing some fresh air.

    Demyx was the second to exit, making a beeline for the person who Riku now recognized as Ienzo.

    “Zexy!” He greeted, picking up the smaller man and twirling him in a circle.

    Ienzo landed on his feet and continued to cling to Demyx’s arms while his head stopped spinning.

    “Myed, where have you been?” He asked, head tilted back so he could glare at Demyx like he’d left the oven on, “You’ve been gone a whole week, do you know how much you made me worry?”

    “Sorry, babe. Won’t happen again.” Demyx lamented, hugging Ienzo tight.

    Riku nearly choked on air. _Babe?_ So it was Ienzo that Demyx had referenced earlier? Riku would have never guessed—their personalities were so opposite. But then again, he was significantly more introverted than and not nearly as bubbly as Sora. Riku smiled to himself. Sora was asleep in the gummyship. He was going to be _so_ disappointed he missed out on discovering who Demyx’s guy was. And finding out his Somebody name.

    Riku said quick goodbyes to everyone, promising Ienzo he’d come back soon to fetch new phones for himself and Sora. Then he hopped back into the gummyship and took off. While he navigated, he dialed Kairi’s number into the communication system of the ship.

    “Hello?” Her sleepy face filled the bottom left of the windshield, forehead covered with a sleep mask.

    “Hey, it’s Riku.”

    Kairi perked up, “Any luck?”

    “Just tell me where you are.”

    “The house Mickey gave us.”

    Perfect. Sora would hardly believe it when he saw the three of them had their own place on Destiny Island.

    “Be there soon.”

    “I’ll make some tea.”

    They each hung up. Riku smiled, feeling equally giddy as he was tired. Kairi and Sora were going to be so _happy_ to see each other again, he could hardly wait to see their faces.

~

    Just as she’d finished pouring two mugs of peppermint tea, Kairi heard the front door of their house swing open. She set the tea kettle on its hot pad and steeled herself for another grieving conversation with Riku. At least he was choosing to be around now, rather than hide himself away. She was happy about that.

    But right as she was about to call out to let Riku know she was in the kitchen, she heard a voice that was distinctly not Riku’s.

    “What do you mean this is _ours_? Mickey just _gave_ us a _house_!?”

    Kairi felt her heart stop. A sea of emotions choked her, and as though the floor were made of hot coals she launched herself from the kitchen into the entryway. Standing just a few feet away, back turned to her as he was gaping into the living room, was none other than Sora.

    _Sora_.

    “Sora!” She nearly screamed, throwing her arms around his waist and pulling him close in the tightest hug she could muster.

    Poor thing actually choked a bit.

    “K-Kairi!” He squeaked out, wiggling himself loose from her grasp so he could turn around and hug her back.

    Hot, happy tears stained his shirt and fell in her hair, but neither minded. Kairi felt the happiness in the air like the satin of her favourite lotion. She didn’t care that it was passed midnight, the gift of having her best friends back was well worth the loss of sleep.

    “Get in here.” Sora said, lifting a hand off her for a moment to wave someone over.

    Kairi felt a familiar, strong arm go around her back. She switched one of her own from Sora to Riku, so that all of them were touching.

    “I’m so glad you’re home.” She told both of them, feeling like her smile would split her face.

    “Thanks, Kai.” Riku said, double meaning clear.

    If she hadn’t pushed him yesterday, he wouldn’t have gone after Sora that morning. The three of them would still be separated, lonely, the way they were never supposed to be.

    “Speaking of home, this _house_!” Sora crowed, “You gotta show me around.”

    Riku yawned, ducking his head toward the floor, “I’m leaving that up to Kairi, I don’t even remember the last time we slept.”

    Sora thought for a moment, “I think it’s been almost twenty-four hours for you, since you flew the ship.”

    “Wait, how is that possible?” Kairi asked.

    Riku and Sora exchanged a glance.

    “We’ve got a lot to catch you up on.”

    Kairi laughed. They always did.

    “Well, tea’s ready so how about we talk and drink?”

    The boys agreed, so Kairi led them into the kitchen. Sora marveled at the modern look of it while she poured a third mug for Sora, then the tree of them sat at the little square dining table with Riku and Sora across from Kairi.

    “So, Sora how about you start with what happened once you came after me?” Kairi prompted.

    Sora’s brow pinched, “It was so long ago…let’s see…Well, I fought more liches and released your heart, then instead of going back to the graveyard like I had before, I ended up floating in darkness for a while. It’s kinda hard to describe because I couldn’t see my body, just _felt_ , you know? Then I thought my mind had made up this place, because I was suddenly in a city where a bunch of magical robots were attacking me. But then _Xigbar_ of all people showed up, and Marluxia was with him…”

    Kairi was sucked in to each word of Sora’s tale. She often had to pause his story to ask questions, clear up details he hadn’t described. Incredible, that there was another _dimension_ parallel to their own. Once the boys had rested, perhaps they would go to Yen Sid and see what he knew of _Eos_.

    Riku began to chime in once he became present in the tale, and it wasn’t until Sora was describing the idea Yozora had come up with that he pulled up short, plunging the three of them into silence.

    “Come on Sora, you were just about to tell me that you and Riku kissed like fairy tale princes and sent everyone home!” Kairi protested teasingly, making both boys blush.

    “No, not that. It was what he said next, ‘ _one character made some kind of sacrifice for another’._ ” Suddenly Sora’s eyes widened, “Riku! That’s what it was!”

    “What what was?” Riku looked as confused as Kairi felt.

    “Why we got home. I didn’t think about it then because I was so upset, but _Yozora_ was the one who made the sacrifice. He saved you. Noctis was about to kill you, I was too far away, then Yozora took the blow for you.”

    “Why would he do that when he didn’t even like me?”

    Kairi felt a lightbulb pop over her head, “Because of Sora. It’s clear Yozora felt some kind of love for him, right? And he must have known you were important to Sora, so he chose not to let you die so Sora would still be happy.”

    Sora hung his head, hiding his face behind his hands with elbows on the table.

    “I wish people would stop _doing_ that. They always get hurt.” He whispered, pain lacing his words.

    Kairi reached across the table and wrapped her hand around Sora’s wrist, pulling until he relented so she could lower his arm and hold his hand. Riku placed an arm over Sora’s shoulder. They hated seeing him in pain, seeing him doubt himself and his value even though he was the thread which held so many lives close together.

    “You’re _always_ worth it, Sora. You have no idea how happy it makes me that other people feel the same way, and they haven’t known you nearly as long. You bring such joy to people, and you don’t even know it.”

    Sora was speechless. He squeezed Kairi’s hand.

    “Thanks, Kai.”

    “Always.” She smiled, “Now finish your story! I want to hear that you guys beat the shit out of Luxu.”

    “Well…” Riku began sheepishly.

    Kairi wasn’t all that surprised to hear that the opposite had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I considered having a full reunion with the characters of Light, but felt that at the end of the day, the one true reunion belonged to the Island kids alone. I hope it was enjoyable, and a decent conclusion to the story! Though I know at this point KH4 is going to be wildly different, I thank each of you for tagging along for this insane crossover that has, to date, been the longest single piece of fiction I've ever written. I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. 
> 
> Now, for the epilogue! I've been looking forward to it for at least two months, and I hope you guys get as much of a kick out of it as I do.
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf


	24. Epilogue

    Freedom was exhilarating. No one was there to boss him around anymore. He was his _own_.

    The soft glow of morning sunlight cast the small castle in a rosy tan. Gold chains swung in the slight breeze, emitting small tinkling sounds. The grass was as green as ever, stone steps polished, vines still creeping up the banisters.

    This had been the first place Ventus had ever remembered as home. It had been the place his body had slept, but his heart had been with Sora. And Vanitas. Not that he’d known, of course. Vanitas had had to hide to survive. Though rebuilding himself within Sora had taken a lot of subtle work, Sora had enough hidden anger, resentment, and hurt that Vanitas had managed to wake up before Ventus.

    It had been so fun to see the frustration on Ventus’ face, the anger and resentment, as Vanitas refused to back down after their last fight. Almost as fun as the shock Ventus was sure to receive when Vanitas waltzed into his bedroom, as he had so many years ago.

    _“Do you ever die?”_ He was sure to ask.

    Vanitas would laugh at him. This time he’d had the God of Death on his side.

    As he approached the door, Vanitas felt doubt creeping into the pores of his skin. What if Ventus wasn’t surprised? What if he simply accepted that Vanitas would always come back, a ghost tethered to haunt him?

    But Vanitas wasn’t a ghost anymore. Lightning had not only granted him his life, but she’d reformed him. No longer would he be a _manifestation_. He was a creature of his own, still powered by the Dark but its master rather than slave. He would finally show Ventus that Darkness didn’t have to mean _evil_. Yes, Vanitas had originally been born from anger and hate, but he was no longer. Now he was human, or as damn near close as Lightning had been able to make him. He had a _heart_ , could feel it beating with nervous excitement in his chest. He finally felt something…positive. Something that hurt, but in a good way.

    Was he _happy_? Was the thought of seeing Ventus making him feel this strange sensation?

    A cooing sound near his feet caught Vanitas’ attention, and he glanced down to see a creature bouncing in circles beside him. It had the skinny, pointy shape of a flood, but rather than lightning bolt antennae and blue-black colors, it had rounded bunny ears and was a sunny yellow. Its cheeks were tinted red and it had little tiger stripes on its back.

    The creature opened its tiny mouth and chirped at him again.

    “Who are you?” He asked, but only received a happy peep in reply.

    The thing ran around his legs, making far too much noise.

    “Hush, you’ll wake th—!” Vanitas began to chastise it, but the creak of the castle door cut him off.

    So much for stealth.

    The little creature jumped onto Vanitas’ chest, forcing him to grasp it so it wouldn’t fall. Whoever had opened the door was momentarily obscured by yellow fur, then Vanitas finally caught sight of blue eyes glaring at him. His heart skipped a beat. Ventus gave him a once-over, then eyed the little beast which had finally settled down.

    “What’s that thing?”

    “I don’t know, this is your house not mine.” Vanitas retorted, and to make his point he set the creature back on the ground.

    “We don’t have any animals.”

    This time the creature went up to Ventus and began chirping at him. Ventus poked it with his foot, but when nothing happened he stooped and picked it up.

    “What do you want, Vanitas?”

    Now that he was poised with the question, Vanitas froze. Ventus’ reaction was boring, compared to what he’d hoped for. Even so, seeing him healthy and evidently happy made that same new sensation tingle through Vanitas’ new body.

    Cooing came from his feet again. But Ventus was still holding the creature. Vanitas looked down to see a _second_ yellow beast.

    “You’re making them.” Ventus observed.

    Vanitas could only gape, the puzzle clicking into place. These things were so unlike the unversed, which were always twitchy and ready to fight. These seemed to only want cuddles, as evident by the second creature jumping on Vanitas, too. Were they coming from the positive emotion?

    Ventus sighed, adjusted the creature in his arms, and said something Vanitas would never have imagined, “Want to come in? Terra just finished making pancakes. We’ve got enough for you.”

    “Um. Sure.” Vanitas found himself following Ventus into the castle, astounded at the unexpected kindness.

    A third yellow beast appeared, trotting in between the warriors of Light and Dark.

~

    A keyblade tumbles from the sky, embedding itself tip-first into rust-colored dirt. A gloved hand reaches down and plucks it from the earth, holding it out. The person grasping it is shroud in a black cloak, hood pulled over their head.

    “Finally,” A voice muses, “Back where it belongs.”

    In the distance a whirlwind picks up, catching the interest of the hooded stranger. They watch as a man clad in white walks forth from the dust devil. Three more matching wind formations on all sides of the stranger spit out people in white. The first is tall, the mask of a unicorn hiding his face. The second is short, her face obscured by a snake. The third is stocky and wears a bear with ears atop his hood. The fourth is thin and sports a leopard.

    The four converge upon the black cloaked keyblade wielder, giving extra space to the large black box beside them.

    The unicorn speaks first, “Did you summon us back?”

    The cloaked stranger nods, “Yep.”

    “Is that you, Luxu? You look different.” The unicorn observes.

    The keyblade wielder pulls his hood back, revealing his scarred face, one eye covered, grey-striped ponytail draping behind his back.

    “Haven’t heard that name in a long while.” Luxu lies through his teeth, grinning with the excitement and drama of it all.

    Hearing his name from Ira’s lips makes him feel powerful again. Knowing what he’s done to their Master makes him feel like a _king_.

    “These days they call me Xigbar, but hey, whatever suits you.”

    “Is it…really you?” Invi asks, uncertain.

    They don’t recognize him, which is good. It means they haven’t been paying attention.

    “Yeah, but some time ago I had to cast my old form away. Been through plenty more semblances since, but it’s still _me_ underneath it all.”

    Telling them a little truth won’t hurt—Luxu needs them to trust him. For now.

    “What happened? Why are we here? You tell me!” Aced demands, always hot and heavy for a fight.

    He was going to be a tough one to win over.

    “I had a _role_ to play. And after all these years, it’s done.”

    “What role?” Invi asks, perhaps thinking that since the Keyblade War has happened the time to share has come.

    Luxu wouldn’t be surprised if the four chatter boxes had shared theirs with each other already. Rather than answer, however, Luxu makes a show of giving each of them a once-over.

    “Hmm, I guess Ava didn’t make it after all.”

    “Meaning what?” Gula demands from behind him, not one for games.

    “I told her, clear as day, what it is I had to do.” Luxu turns to acknowledge him, to observe what will probably be another thorn in his side.

    “And is _that_ why you decided to exclude her?”

    Luxu turns away, leaning his head back to observe the sky. He can see her now, tucked in that old corner store in Shibuya, helping those in need as she’s always wanted to do.

    “As if. Ava had her own mission, and she carried it out.”

    “I’ve heard enough!” Aced snaps, “Luxu, what was your role?”

    Luxu glares at him for a moment, before closing his eyes and recalling the past years. The face that comes to mind through it all isn’t Sora, the Master, Ava, or even Xehanort. No, the one who started it all…Ventus never fails to bring a smile to Luxu’s face.

    He turns to the box, containing the powers of a Goddess of Death within. He hopes Lightning is comfortable in there. More likely than not, she’s asleep.

    “I hope you like long stories.”


End file.
